Ibrahim Ali Khan opens up on his hearing disability, speech issues: 'Jaundice at birth went into my brainstem; it is still not perfect'

Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh's son Ibrahim Ali Khan opened up about having difficulty with hearing and speech after suffering a bad jaundice at birth that went to his brainstem. The actor said he is still working on his speech.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | Updated: May 13, 2025 11:22 AM IST

3 min read

Ibrahim Ali Khan confirms he suffers from hearing and speech disability.

Ibrahim Ali Khan opens up for the first time about his hearing and speech disability. (Photo: Netflix)

Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan faced a lot of scrutiny after the release of his debut film Nadaaniyan. While trolls were quick to judge him, not many know about his struggle with a speech impediment. In a recent interaction, Ibrahim opened up about having difficulty with speech since childhood and revealed that he still has to work ‘really hard’ on it.

During an interview with GQ, Ibrahim shared that a serious case of jaundice at the time of his birth affected his speech and hearing abilities. He revealed, “Soon after I was born, I had very bad jaundice and that went straight to my brainstem. I went on to lose quite a bit of my hearing and that impacted my speech.”

Sharing that he has worked extensively over the years to improve his speech and continues to do so, he said, “My speech is something that I’ve had to work hard on since I was a child, with coaches and therapists. It’s not perfect; I’m still working really hard on it.”

Despite his speech challenges, Ibrahim’s parents did not hesitate to send him to boarding school in England. The actor admitted that while it was difficult to fit in initially, the experience helped him grow tremendously as a person. “Being Indian, it was hard to fit in, but I had the best four years of my life. I played sports, made new friends and learnt a lot. My speech issue was so bad back then, and the move placed me in this new space where I had to survive,” he said.

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Conscious of not sounding like a ‘rich brat,’ Ibrahim clarified that he was left to deal with many things on his own. “I don’t mean to sound like some rich kid whining, but when you’re 14 and on your own, boarding school isn’t easy. It’s very strict. Yet, it shaped my character and changed my perspective on life,” he said.

Ibrahim is Saif Ali Khan’s eldest son. Before marrying Kareena Kapoor, Saif was married to Amrita Singh from 1991 to 2004. They had two children — Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim. After Saif and Amrita parted ways, Saif married Kareena, and the couple has two sons — Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan.

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