Saif Ali Khan paid a heartfelt tribute to his late father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, remembered as Tiger Pataudi, at the Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture 2026 held in Kolkata. At the event, Saif spoke about one of the most remarkable chapters in his father’s life: the moment he lost an eye, and how despite the devastating blow, he made one of the most extraordinary comebacks the world of sport has ever seen.
Saif Ali Khan has termed Tiger Pataudi’s story as one of the greatest comebacks in sports
The actor said: “My father lost his eye when he was growing up… I don’t want to go on because I can talk about so many aspects of his cricket, but he lost his eye when he was on the way to something really, really great. It’s one of the greatest disasters and one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sports.”
Saif Ali Khan has revealed that Tiger Pataudi did not know that he had lost his eye
He stated that his father was not even aware of the full extent of his injury at first, believing it to be just a shoulder accident. “The doctors operated and said you have this piece of glass in your eye. You will lose 99% of your vision. At one point, if you use contact lenses, they said you will get 90% of your vision back, but it will take a long time to adjust. So he came back from college, he was in Delhi and they called him to play a match against an English team,” Khan.
Saif Ali Khan recalls how Tiger Pataudi changed his game
Saif then spoke about what happened when his father first wore the lens. “He scored 35 runs before lunch. Then he took off his contact lens, covered his eye with a cap and then scored 70. And he was picked to play for India. He said he had to change his game. He never spoke of it as a handicap, he never considered it a misfortune. Just something to adjust to, an event. That’s what defined him: composure,” he concluded.
Saif Ali Khan talks about Tiger Pataudi’s calm confidence
He also shared a more personal and intimate side of his father, revealing that Tiger Pataudi was never the type of man to brag about his achievements, even within the four walls of his home. “At home, he rarely talked about his achievements. He rarely talked about anything. My mother was anxious at dinners and gatherings with people less informed than her, who would give their opinion. Nobody asked me, she said, but she wouldn’t talk because nobody asked her. It was a very different brand of trust,” said Saif.
Legacy of Tiger Pataudi
Tiger Pataudi died in September 2011 in New Delhi, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire generations.
Upcoming projects of Saif Ali Khan
On the work front, Saif Ali Khan was last seen in Netflix’s ‘Kartavya’.
