'Wish I Had Been There'

'He had just come out of the ICU after surgery.'
'He opened his eyes, spoke to Sara for a bit, and asked for me.'
'I said, "I'm right here, dad".'
'And then he said, "If you were there, you would've beaten that guy up".'

'If someone in your immediate family has a near-death experience, you don't take them for granted. You become more present in the relationship,' Ibrahim Ali Khan tells GQ India magazine.

He was addressing the January 16, 2025 attack on his father Saif Ali Khan at his home in Bandra, northwest Mumbai.

'I was shooting a night shift at that point of time. He was stabbed around 2:30 am and I was informed at 5:30 am. I hadn't slept that night and I rushed to see him.

'He had just come out of the ICU after surgery. He opened his eyes, spoke to Sara (Ali Khan) for a bit, and asked for me. I was so happy; I said, "I'm right here, dad."

'And then he said, "If you were there, you would've beaten that guy up".'

To this, Ibrahim started crying.

'I wish I had been there. At one point, when I heard he got stabbed, I started to think of the worst-case scenario. That's a very scary feeling.'

Ibrahim clarified that he did not accompany his father to the hospital; his younger brother Taimur Ali Khan did.

'To everyone saying I drove him to the hospital with my baby brother, I would like to clarify that my dad walked into the hospital himself. He walked in with a knife stuck in him and said, "I need help",' Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim revealed that he had a speech problem.

'Soon after I was born, I had very bad jaundice and that went straight to my brainstem. I went on to lose quite a bit of my hearing and that impacted my speech.

'My speech is something that I've had to work hard on since I was a child, with coaches and therapists. It's not perfect; I'm still working really hard on it,' he said.

So who gave him the best advice?

'It was from two people. My dad said this is not the year 2000 when a star can just walk around in a movie and it can be a blockbuster. Today you must be very prepared, and be a quick learner. Most importantly, he said the script and the filmmaker are two things you cannot compromise on.'

The second person he revealed was Priyanka Chopra.

'She sent me a very sweet message, saying she watched the film and thinks I have a bright future. She said I have to hold my head high and keep grinding; and that I must grow a thick skin.

'Coming from someone as accomplished as she is, I felt really comforted and motivated.'