Sara Ali Khan was born on 12 August 1995 in Mumbai to Saif Ali Khan, son of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore, and Amrita Singh; both actors of the Hindi film industry. A member of the Pataudi family, she is also the maternal granddaughter of Rukhsana Sultana and Shivinder Singh Virk. She has a younger brother, Ibrahim Ali Khan. Her half-brother, Taimur Ali Khan, is Saif's son from his second marriage to Kareena Kapoor. Khan is of predominantly Bengali and Pathan descent on her father's side, and of Punjabi descent on her mother's side.
