Saif Ali Khan (born 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and producer who works mainly in Hindi films. He is the son of the cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and the actress Sharmila Tagore. He began in 1990s romantic comedies and redefined himself as the urban leading man of Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Hum Tum. Hum Tum won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. He later won acclaim for darker roles in Omkara, Tanhaji and Netflix’s Sacred Games, and he received the Padma Shri in 2010.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Saif Ali Khan Pataudi |
| Born | 16 August 1970, New Delhi, India |
| Age | 56 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actor, producer |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Parents | Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (cricketer), Sharmila Tagore (actress) |
| Education | Lawrence School, Sanawar; Lockers Park School; Winchester College, England |
| Spouses | Amrita Singh (1991–2004); Kareena Kapoor Khan (m. 2012) |
| Children | 4 (Sara, Ibrahim, Taimur, Jeh) |
| Known for | Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Hum Tum, Omkara, Race, Sacred Games, Tanhaji |
Early Life and Family
Khan was born in New Delhi to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the former captain of India’s cricket team and titular Nawab of Pataudi, and the actress Sharmila Tagore. His grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, also played Test cricket. His sisters are the jewellery designer Saba Ali Khan and the actress Soha Ali Khan. He studied at the Lawrence School in Sanawar, then at Lockers Park School and Winchester College in England. In 2011, after his father’s death, he became the titular head of the Pataudi family in a symbolic ceremony.
Career
Khan made his debut in Parampara (1993). He had early hits with Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), opposite Akshay Kumar, and the romance Yeh Dillagi (1994), but for much of the 1990s he struggled to establish himself as a lead.
Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai (2001), about three friends, turned his career around. His comic role as a flirtatious friend won wide praise. He followed it with Karan Johar’s production Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), alongside Shah Rukh Khan. Yash Raj Films’ romantic comedy Hum Tum (2004), with Rani Mukerji, won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. He also starred in Parineeta (2005) with Vidya Balan.
His menacing turn as Langda Tyagi, the Iago figure, in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara (2006) is often considered his finest work. He starred in the thriller Race (2008). Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Cocktail (2012) both paired him with Deepika Padukone. He also appeared in the zombie comedy Go Goa Gone (2013). He played the police officer Sartaj Singh in Netflix’s first Indian original series, Sacred Games (2018–2019).
Khan played the villain Udaybhan Rathore opposite Ajay Devgn in Tanhaji (2020), and the role won him a Filmfare Award. He starred in Vikram Vedha (2022) with Hrithik Roshan and played Ravana in Adipurush (2023), which was a commercial failure. He made his Telugu debut as the villain in Devara: Part 1 (2024), a major hit, and starred in the Netflix heist film Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins (2025).
Personal Life
Khan was married to the actress Amrita Singh from 1991 to 2004. They have two children, the actress Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan. He married Kareena Kapoor in 2012, and they have two sons, Taimur (born 2016) and Jeh (born 2021). In January 2025 an intruder stabbed him during a break-in at his Mumbai home. He needed surgery for a spinal injury and was discharged from hospital after five days, and police arrested a suspect. He runs the production company Illuminati Films.
Awards and Honours
Selected Filmography
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Saif Ali Khan born?
Saif Ali Khan was born on 16 August 1970 in New Delhi, India and is 56 years old.
What is Saif Ali Khan known for?
Known for: Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Hum Tum, Omkara, Race, Sacred Games, Tanhaji.
Featured image: Saif Ali Khan. Photo by Bollywood Hungama, licensed under CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
