Hyderabad:

Actor Saif Ali Khan was admitted to Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital after being attacked with a knife by an intruder at his home. The Mumbai Police apprehended the attacker in Thane city on Sunday. They identified him as 30-year-old Bangladeshi resident Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad. He was later presented before a metropolitan magistrate’s court that same afternoon.

Amid these developments, a photo of Saif Ali Khan with bruises on his face including a black eye has gone viral with the claim that it shows the extent of the actor’s injuries in the attack.

The viral image was shared by a Threads user with the caption, “Saif Ali Khan stabbed: 30 minutes in the dead of night, Rs 1 crore demand, the attack and the escape.”

Similar claims were shared on platforms X and Instagram.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The image was Saif Ali Khan’s makeup for his movie Laal Kaptaan in 2019.

A reverse image search of the viral photo led to an X post from October 8, 2019, with the caption, “Behind the scene photos of Saif Ali Khan from Laal Kaptaan.” The post stated that the image showed the actor’s makeup for his role in the film.

Behind the scene photos of Saif Ali Khan from Laal Kaptaan https://t.co/W6ehUYLNo2 pic.twitter.com/moanEUfDQ6

— Saif Ali Khan Online (@SaifOnline) October 8, 2019

Further keyword search led to a report by The Times of India, dated October 8, 2019, titled ‘Mangled and bleeding: Here’s how Saif Ali Khan looked after an intense scene in Laal Kaptaan.’

The report confirmed that the photo was from the 2019 movie where Saif portrayed a Naga Sadhu.

The image, showing his bruised face and an injured eye, was a hot topic of discussion at the time. Many have drawn comparisons between Saif’s dreadlocked, bearded appearance in the movie and Johnny Depp’s iconic look from the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise.

Other media outlets, including Amar Ujala and Jagran, also reported on Saif Ali Khan’s appearance in Laal Kaptaan, praising the makeup design and detailing how it contributed to his fierce portrayal in the movie.

According to a Reuters report, Saif Ali Khan sustained stab wounds to his spine, neck and hand, as confirmed by the doctors.

The report quoted Dr Nitin Dange, one of the surgeons, who said, “He suffered a significant injury to the thoracic spinal cord caused by a knife lodged in his spine. Surgery was carried out to remove the knife and repair the leaking spinal fluid.” The report did not mention any injuries to Saif Ali Khan’s face.

Additionally, we found that the visuals from the movie Laal Kaptaan featured a similar appearance in some scenes.

Therefore, the claim that the viral image shows Saif Ali Khan’s injuries following a real-life attack is false. The image shows Saif Ali Khan’s makeup for his film Laal Kaptaan in 2019.

(This story was originally published by NewsMeter, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)

Mumbai:

Another CCTV grab of the suspect who attacked Saif Ali Khan at the actor’s Mumbai home has surfaced, sources said.

The timestamp in the CCTV grab indicated the suspect was making his escape after attacking the actor with a knife.

Later, the same suspect was seen in new clothes – a blue shirt – at Bandra railway station, sources said.

Saif Ali Khan, 54, is being treated at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital, where he was taken by his son after the attack by an intruder in the early hours on Thursday. He suffered multiple wounds.

“We are observing his progress and he is doing excellently well according to our expectations. As per his progress, we have advised him bed rest and if he is comfortable, then in two to three days we will discharge him,” said Dr Nitin Dange, neurosurgeon at Lilavati Hospital, adding a team of doctors checked on him and made him walk.

The actor is fit to be moved out of the intensive care unit (ICU) and “we are shifting him to a special room,” the neurosurgeon, who led the team of doctors who operated on Saif Ali Khan, said.

“Khan had three injuries, two on the hand and one on the right side of the neck. And the major part was at the back, which was in the spine, thoracic spine we call. A sharp object was lodged inside, which has gone very deep, touching the dura and the spinal cord, but it has not damaged the spinal cord,” Dr Dange said.

Doctors have removed the sharp object, the doctor said.

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was injured during a robbery attempt at his Bandra West residence in Mumbai in the early hours of Thursday (January 16, 2025). He is undergoing surgery in Lilavati hospital to treat the stab wounds, the hospital confirmed.

According to Mumbai police, an unidentified person allegedly entered Saif’s residence around 2.30 a.m. During the incident, Saif reportedly suffered injuries in a confrontation involving a knife. He was taken to Lilavati Hospital for treatment.

Dr. Niraj Uttamani, COO of Lilavati Hospital, said that Saif Ali Khan was brought in at 3.30 a.m. Dr. Uttamani said that Saif has six stabs, two of which are deep. One wound is close to his spine.

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