Javed Akhtar on Saif Ali Khan knife attack: Happy he returned from hospital, we were all concerned

Mumbai, Jan 24 (PTI) Veteran writer Javed Akhtar on Friday said he is happy that Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan has recovered following a knife attack at his residence last week.

“All of us were extremely concerned. And I’m happy that he has come back from the hospital,” Akhtar told PTI on the sideline of the convocation ceremony of filmmaking institute Whistling Wood.

Khan was attacked in his 12th-floor apartment in the upscale Bandra area during an attempted robbery. He sustained multiple stab wounds and underwent two surgeries at the Lilavati Hospital here.

The 54-year-old actor was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday.

Police have arrested the intruder, identified as Shareeful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, a 30-year-old Bangladeshi national who illegally entered India last year and assumed the alias Vijay Das.

Akhtar and veteran actor Pankaj Kapur on Friday attended the Convocation of the Class of 2024 at the Whistling Woods International, the film institute run by filmmaker Subhash Ghai.

The duo were presented with the Maestro Awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the art of storytelling, cinema, and culture.

Akhtar said the current generation of budding storytellers are fortunate to have access to film institutions like Whistling Woods.

During his time, everything had to be learned on the job, he added.

“We didn’t have teachers; most of what we picked up came from the sets… We learned as we worked. They are very fortunate to have these institutions to guide them,” he said.

“However, there is a difference between college and the real world. They have gained knowledge, but now they must prove they have the calibre to succeed, which is a challenge in itself. Let’s see how well they rise to it,” he added.