Actor Ibrahim Ali Khan has had a sobering first year in the film industry. After making his acting debut in Nadaaniyan in March, he starred in Sarzameen in July. In both films, reviewers criticized him for appearing “raw and unprepared”. Now, the actor admits that he probably rushed into his debut.

In an interview with Esquire India, the 24-year-old clarified that while he did not take his acting career for granted, he entered films thinking success would come easily. “I am not saying I took my chance for granted, but I stepped into the industry like, ‘Ho jaayega’. Of course, I was working very hard; I’m still working hard on my speech issue. But in a way, I feel I have rushed into those movies. I was 21 when I began shooting for it; others around me are doing it at 26, 27, 28. I now think I could have been more mindful of the scale of what was going to happen,” he said.

But for Ibrahim, whose parents, Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, and grandmother, Sharmila Tagore, are all actors, his family legacy serves as inspiration whenever self-doubt creeps in. “When I feel unsure, all this (lineage) is a reminder of who’s at home. ‘You’re Saif Ali Khan’s kid. You have Bebo (stepmother Kareena Kapoor Khan) in your family. You should be able to do it. You should be smashing it, man,’” he added.