Saif Ali Khan speaks up about the night he was stabbed protecting his kids

Sometimes, real life can feel scarier than any thriller film. For actor Saif Ali Khan, that moment came earlier this year, when danger entered his own home. In the middle of the night, inside the comfort of his apartment, Saif found himself fighting for his life. And, fighting for the safety of his children, of course!

It was a night that began quietly. But it soon turned into chaos. An intruder broke into the family’s home. He reportedly sneaked in through little Jeh’s bedroom. The household staff noticed something was wrong, and then raised an alarm.

Advertisement

What followed was a scene, no parent ever wishes to face. Saif rushed into the room where the man was reaching for his four-year-old son. Without a second thought, he threw himself into the struggle.

Also Read: Diljit Dosanjh competes for best actor at International Emmys for ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’

But that came at a cost. During the fight, Saif was stabbed in the back. The injury was so severe that doctors later said he had narrowly escaped paralysis. His wife, Kareena Kapoor Khan, was in the house at the time, watching events unfold with shock and fear. Their elder son, Taimur, just eight years old, was also at home.

In a recent conversation with ‘Esquire India’, Saif finally opened up about that terrifying night. He admitted that as he lay on the floor, bleeding, his life flashed before his eyes.

“There’s this crazy sense of how lucky one is because [the knife attack] was damn close. And to walk away relatively unscathed is nothing short of miraculous,” he said.

The actor described how, in that vulnerable moment, memories of his life came rushing back; his years at Winchester, his travels, the wine, the laughter, his wife and children. He said it could have been adrenaline. But he felt strangely calm as he thought about how colourful his life had been.

The attack left him with a weapon fragment lodged in his back. After the intruder fled, Saif didn’t wait for a fancy car or ambulance. Instead, he got into a nearby auto rickshaw and rushed to the hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery.

Looking back, Saif also reflected on the values he hopes to pass on to his children. “Calmness, patience, discipline, balance,” he said.