When Saif Ali Khan was attacked with alcohol glass at Delhi bar after refusing a strange request: 'He might have killed me'

Before delivering intense performances in films like ‘Omkara’ and ‘Tanhaji’, Saif Ali Khan was often seen as the easygoing, charming star of the ’90s. Known for his calm demeanour and effortless wit, he rarely courted controversy. However, one shocking incident from the early days of his career revealed a far more dangerous side of fame. His early image was that of a laid-back actor who connected easily with fans, especially through his romantic roles.While he enjoyed the attention, he was never one to engage in confrontations. Yet, as he once shared, certain situations, especially in nightlife settings, could quickly spiral out of control. In a conversation with Neha Dhupia on ‘No Filter Neha’, Saif opened up about the unpredictable nature of such environments. “No, but I was also at fault a little bit. It’s not the hardest thing in the world to get into… to get something broken on your head in a nightclub in Delhi… it’s a dangerous environment,” he admitted, reflecting on how easily things could escalate.Recalling an incident from 1994, Saif spoke about a confrontation that began rather casually. A man approached him in a Delhi bar and requested that he dance with his girlfriend. When Saif declined, the situation quickly turned hostile. He remembered, “So this is an unfortunate incident where a guy said, ‘Please dance with my girlfriend’ and I was like I don’t want to do that… and then he said, ‘I’m going to F it up for you’ and then he hit me with a whisky glass on my forehead.”The situation didn’t end with that blow. Saif revealed that the altercation continued even as he tried to clean the wound. “And then we ended up in the bathroom and I was wiping because it was bleeding a lot… I said ‘look what you did’… and he attacked me with the soap dish. So, he was a lunatic and he might have killed me,” he shared, describing the frightening turn of events.On the work front, Saif Ali Khan is set to headline the upcoming crime thriller series ‘Kartavya’, slated to release on Netflix India on May 15, 2026. Backed by Red Chillies Entertainment and produced by Gauri Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, the project marks director Pulkit’s second collaboration with the platform after ‘Bhakshak’.In the series, Saif plays an upright cop, Pawan Malik, who finds himself caught between duty and personal stakes while probing the murder of a journalist. As threats close in on his family, the story unfolds as a tense exploration of morality, justice and the cost of standing by one’s principles.