An Uttarakhandi auto driver Rana helped Saif Ali Khan save his life/ A real life hero saves the reel life hero

SUNIL NEGI

You may be a millionaire or billionaire but sometimes when you are in real trouble , you life in extreme danger even a poor person may arrive at your doorstep as a messenger of God, “The Prophet”. Then no amount of money or being ultra rich comes to your rescue but the prophet like via media who gives you a new lease of life. This happened with the Bollywood celebrity Saif Ali Khan, “The Nawab”, of Pataudi and eminent actor on the fateful night of 16 th midnight when he was repeatedly stabbed six times and grievously injured. The gentleman who came to his rescue was none other than an autorickshaw driver living in a chawl originally from Uttarakhand Bhajan Singh Rana.

When Saif Ali Khan was gruesomely injured especially on his back near the spine with a knife piece stuck inside , bleeding profusely , he immediately with the help of a domestic help Hari , son Taimur rushed down. When the maid accompanying them waved her hand towards an auto at 2.30 AM, the driver Bhajan Singh Rana without realising that the injured is a celebrity immediately helped them and rushed to Lilawati hospital admitting the badly injured n profusely bleeding actor there.

As soon as Saif reached the hospital he cried : call for the stretcher and the driver Bhajan Singh Rana helped him calling the doctors in desperation.

Saif was immediately admitted and operated upon thereafter by a senior surgeon Dr.Nitin Dange.

Bhajan Singh Rana from Uttarakhand is living in a chawl in Mumbai with three other fellow Uttarakhandie auto drivers.

He didn’t asked for the fare even seeing the patient in acute injury realising afterwards that he was no ordinary person but a renowned celebrity Saif Ali Khan.

According to a TOI report quoting Bhajan Singh Rana during the journey Khan remained conscious, though still bleeding profusely repeatedly asking him as to how far is the hospital ?

The actor was not panicked though with his son Taimur sitting in between and domestic held Hari on the other side.

According to the auto driver Rana who works on night shift , on the fateful night on the Bandra Sadhguru area he noticed one of the actor’s domestic help waving at him desperately.

He stopped and was asked to take the injured to Lilawati hospital. I didn’t recognised him to be the Bollywood actor and immediately rushed towards the hospital with actor saying speed up said Rana.

As soon as we reached there he was attended and admitted. Then did I realised that he was Saif Ali Khan said the driver who didn’t even asked for the fare seeing the emergency and grievous injury of the man he was carrying in his auto.

For Saif Ali Khan and actor of thousands of crores of assets and wealth, a simple auto driver of Uttarakhand Bhajan Singh Rana proved to be a messenger of God who not only saved his life but also set an example of a good Samaritan.

What a coincidence that the gentleman looking after the office and domestic affairs of Saif Ali Khan’s mother Sharmila Tagore in Vasant Vihar bungalow , Delhi is Rana and the auto driver who came to the rescue of the actor Saif Ali Khan is also Rana.

I also got an opportunity to accompany Barkha Singh , the then Chairperson of Delhi Women Commission , Nawab Pataudi, eminent cricketer and his wife renowned actress SharmilaTagore to AIIMS private ward years ago to meet the then union minister Sudhish Pachauri who was convalesing there after medical treatment of an ailment. I was then the media consultant at DCW.