In January 2025, Saif Ali Khan was stabbed multiple times during an attempted burglary at his Mumbai home. Now, more than a year after the incident, the actor has opened up about how the attack changed his outlook on security, privilege and the fragility of life, while leaving him with a profound sense of gratitude for having survived.

Saif was stabbed multiple times during an attempted burglary in the early hours of January 16, 2025. The actor sustained serious injuries, including wounds to his spine, neck and hand, and underwent emergency surgery at Lilavati Hospital. He was discharged five days later.

How stabbing incident changed Saif

In a conversation with Gulf News, Saif Ali Khan said the incident had changed his previously relaxed attitude towards security.

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

“I wasn’t a big fan of security, and I quite liked an open thing. But my takeaway is that there are a lot of haves and have-nots in the world, and you should not tempt fate. So you have to lock the doors, you have to put away the valuables, and you have to understand how lucky you are and how unlucky most people are,” he said.

The actor added that the incident also made him think more deeply about inequality and the circumstances that can drive people towards crime.

“That’s the real kind of thing—you understand why this thing happened, because of inequality,” he said.

Story continues below this ad

Emotional impact of the incident

More than a year later, Saif Ali Khan said the emotional impact of the incident has not entirely disappeared.

“As time goes by, some parts become even worse. It doesn’t really leave you that just how lucky it was, how close it came, how violent that whole thing was and how quick it was,” he said.

The actor further shared that the experience left him grappling with two emotions: the memory of how close he came to death and a profound sense of gratitude for having survived.

“There are two things. One is that, and emotional dealing with that, which just feels very lucky,” Saif said, adding, “I remember feeling at one point that this must be it, but I also remember thinking it’s been an amazing life.”

Story continues below this ad

Looking back at the attack, Saif Ali Khan said the rush of adrenaline and the sudden awareness of death made him reflect on how remarkable his life had been.

“There’s something about adrenaline and something about a warrior’s death also. I think there is adrenaline involved when it actually happens. I was quite happy and I remember feeling it has been an absolutely amazing (life).”

‘There were cuts and blood everywhere’

Earlier, in a conversation with Mojo Story, Saif Ali Khan revisited the incident and said he wanted to forgive the accused and move on from what happened.

Recalling the night of the attack, Saif said the intruder entered his home through a bathroom window before making his way into the room where his son Jeh and the nanny were. He said the nanny alerted him to the presence of a man with a knife.

Story continues below this ad

“I went in there and saw this guy holding a knife. He had cut the baby a little bit, and he had cut the maid a little bit. He was standing there with this knife.”

The actor said he initially wondered whether he could have handled the situation differently, perhaps by speaking to the intruder. However, he said his instincts took over.

“Maybe, you know, if I had put the lights on and said, ‘Do you know where you are? Do you know what you’re doing?’ Maybe I could have talked him out of it. But I did something, I don’t know, something took over. It was a little crazy. I jumped on him, and we had this fight. He went crazy with these knives, and there were cuts and blood everywhere. He wasn’t a very big fellow, but two knives are two knives. It kind of just got out of hand.”

Saif said he did not want to hold on to anger towards the accused.

Story continues below this ad

“I even want to forgive this guy because I think he made a huge mistake, and I don’t think he was even looking for a fight.”