Saif Ali Khan, Indian actor and producer
Saif Ali Khan (pronounced [ˈsɛːf əˈli xaːn]; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi on 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and producer who works in Hindi films. The son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan, Khan made his acting debut in Yash Chopra's drama Parampara (1993), but achieved success with his roles in the romantic drama Yeh Dillagi and the action film Main Khiladi Tu Anari (both 1994). Khan's career prospect declined through much of the 1990s, and his biggest commercial success of the decade came with the ensemble family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999). He rose to prominence with roles in two ensemble comedy-dramas—Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003).
The 2004 romantic comedy Hum Tum proved to be Khan's first success in which he played the sole male lead, earning him the National Film Award for Best Actor, and starring roles in the drama Parineeta and the romantic comedy-drama Salaam Namaste (both 2005) established him as a leading actor in Bollywood. He earned wide critical praise for his portrayal of a manipulative pimp in the 2004 thriller Ek Hasina Thi, an apprentice in the 2006 English film Being Cyrus, a character based on William Shakespeare's antagonist Iago in the 2006 crime drama Omkara, and a terrorist in the 2009 thriller Kurbaan. Khan's greatest commercial successes came with the 2008 thriller Race and its 2013 sequel, the 2009 romantic drama Love aj Kal, and the 2012 romantic comedy-drama Cocktail. Saif performed in a series of films that under-performed at the box office, but received praise for playing a troubled policeman in the Netflix thriller series Sacred Games and a Rajput fort keeper in the historical drama Tanhaji (2020). The latter emerged as iis highest-grossing release and earned him his second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Khan is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Award and seven Filmfare Awards, and received Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award, in 2010. He has been noted for his performances in a range of film genres—from crime dramas to action thrillers and comic romances—and his film roles have been credited with contributing to a change in the concept of a Hindi film hero. Khan was married to his first wife, Amrita Singh, for thirteen years, after which he married actress Kareena Kapoor. He has four children—two with Singh and two with Kapoor. In addition to film acting, Khan is a frequent television presenter, stage show performer, and the owner of the production companies Illuminati Films and Black Knight Films.