Actor Saif Ali Khan on Thursday underwent a surgery at a hospital in Mumbai to remove a knife from his spine after he was repeatedly stabbed by an intruder at his home, and is now "out of danger", doctors said.

Saif, 54, was on the path of recovery following the emergency surgery, said doctors at the Lilavati Hospital where he was rushed following the incident that took place around 2.30 am at his house in Satguru Sharan building.

Speaking to reporters, Lilavati Hospital's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Dr Niraj Uttamani said, "We removed a 2.5-inch piece of knife from the spine." Asked about the actor's injuries, he said there were two severe, two intermediate injuries and two abrasions.

"We wish to inform you that fortunately Saif Ali Khan's surgery has been done very well. He is on the recovery path. He has been shifted to the ICU. Maybe in a day or two he will be shifted to the ward," Dr Uttamani told reporters.

The injuries were deep, however, doctors at the hospital managed to do the surgery well, he said, adding that a neurosurgery and a plastic surgery have been performed.

"Khan is looking fine and is on 100 per cent recovery path as per our initial understanding," Dr Uttamani said.

Dr Nitin Dange, neurosurgeon at the Lilavati Hospital, said Khan had sustained a major injury to his "thoracic spine." "He sustained a major injury to his thoracic spine due to a knife lodged in his spine. Surgery was performed to remove the knife and also to repair the leaking spinal fluid. There were two other deep wounds on his left hand and right side of the neck which were repaired by the plastic surgery team," he said.

"Khan is completely stable now. He is in recovery mode and is completely out of danger. We will shift him out of the ICU tomorrow morning and maybe plan a discharge in a day or two," he added.