Actor Babil Khan reflects on his journey in the film industry, acknowledging the privilege he comes from while recognising the realities of navigating the business. “I come from a family, a privileged family. People have to work a lot to feel this way, and I understand that’s the struggle of the industry. That’s why you have to be extremely passionate,” says Babil, 28, who made his debut with Qala in 2022.

For Babil, a lack of opportunities should not become a reason to complain. “If you’re complaining about, ‘Oh, good things are not being offered to me’, then you’re in denial with your entitlement. You have to really, really work on yourself before you even start thinking about these questions,” he says. 

Adding that he prefers to focus on self-improvement rather than dwell on what isn’t coming his way, he explains, “I don’t wait around and feel sad that things are not being offered to me. I spend that time, that day, trying to be the best version of myself and just having a connection with God or whatever it is that you connect to. And knowing that the joy is in when you are a better version of yourself. That’s where true joy is.”

Speaking about how his approach to acting has evolved, Babil says the need to prove himself has gradually taken a backseat.

“The biggest thing is that as your journey goes on, you try to prove yourself lesser and lesser. And once you start doing that, you open up to the honesty of yourself and you open up to the honesty of your character. I think that’s changed the most.”

However, he believes the process of proving oneself is never entirely over. “No matter how much you work, no matter how many projects you do, you have to keep proving yourself. And I guess that’s a journey where you’re not doing it to try to prove yourself, you’re doing it for the work and through the work, you’re proving yourself,” he adds.

Speaking about the thought that goes into his career choices, Babil says, “There are so many factors that affect your decision in that process. You have to really just meditate your way through it and make the choice that your heart wants to make and not what your wants and needs want to make.”

He admits to having turned down several projects and subsequently wondered what it would have been like to be part of them. “It’s not about whether it did well or not, but when you see the vision come to life, of course, a part of you screams, ‘Wish I did it.’ It’s always going to be the case. Your parameters for what success and failure are have to evolve through time. Otherwise, you’re not going to consistently make right choices,” he says.

For Babil, staying true to himself and his roots is equally important, especially while navigating an industry that can change one’s perspective. “I’ve always shown my true self, whether it be a scared self, whether it be an anxious self, whether it be a happy self. It was always me,” he says.

Interestingly, the actor had put up social media posts in May 2025, speaking about an emotional breakdown and calling the industry fake. Looking back at the importance of retaining one’s individuality, he says, “A very important thing about this industry is you have to keep going back to reminding yourself not to detach from your roots. Otherwise, it will change you, man.”

Actor Babil considers himself a lifelong student of acting, guided by two mentors: filmmaker Shoojit Sircar and acting coach Rachit Singh. On Teacher's Day, the young actor explains the role these two mentors have had in shaping his mindset.

“Shoojit da and I have been trying to work together for quite some time now. Even in that struggle to find the right subject and the right time, he taught me to trust life,” shares the 28-year-old.

In learning to trust the process, Babil also discovered the importance of embracing the journey. “All this while, I was chasing outcomes when I should have been living the struggle itself for what it is, and developing my instinct through it while balancing that with rigorous practice of the craft,” he says.

These lessons, he believes, came from having the right teachers. “The difference between a good and a bad teacher can be whether the student lives their life or merely survives it,” says the actor, who made his debut with Qala (2022) and is now preparing for his foray into Malayalam cinema.

Shoojit Sircar says there was a lot of expectation from Babil since he is the late actor Irrfan’s son. “But it’s wrong. He was just figuring out his way and the world was expecting him to deliver. That’s the worst scenario for anyone. I just tried to help him out of this trap. Whatever course correction he is doing, it’s purely his conviction for his art. He is still a student and we should give him that chance,” he insists, adding that Babil’s biggest strength is “his surety that he wanted to become an actor”.

Speaking about his other pillar of strength, Babil says, “Rachit sir and I have been working intricately on surrender and awareness for six years. His workshops changed my life and perspective, and showed me how to offer my throat to life and be fearless about it. The confidence I have today in my skills as an actor and a human being stems largely from paaji’s workshops and friendship.”

Talking about an important moment with Rachit, Babil shares, “I think one moment that I can say without worrying is from paji’s workshops, especially the first one when I was trying to quit midway desperately afraid of failing and Rachit paji would call me incessantly and do whatever it takes which included literally dragging me out of bed and into the workshop to perform. I would usually perform well on these days but performing well wasn’t what he was trying to instil, it was confrontation with failure.”

He adds, “He was trying to tell me that it doesn’t matter whether I fail or succeed, it matters that I show up. Thank you so much, and I’m forever grateful for you Rachit sir!”

Comic Con Mumbai kicked off over the weekend, bringing together immersive booths, creators, fans, and cosplayers in a vibrant celebration of pop culture. Babil, who recently returned to movies after a brief hiatus, made a special appearance for BT and soaked in anime culture’s soaring popularity among young fans. Warm and unassuming, Babil happily posed for selfies and responded to every fan who enthusiastically spoke about their love for his father, the late Irrfan.

Babil’s connection with superheroes is also deeply personal because of his father’s association with The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), which starred Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. Speaking about it fondly, he said, “We know from the Spider-Verse that there’s an Indian Spider-Man. Seeing my dad in the film was surreal, but not as crazy as him telling Christopher Nolan he didn’t have dates for Interstellar because he was already committed to another wonderful film – Piku with Shoojit Sircar.”

He added, “Spider-Man is my favourite superhero because he’s human in a very real way. He goes through all the emotions of being a kid growing up and coming to terms with being handed this immensely heavy responsibility and legacy. I relate to that deeply.”

Babil believes the enduring appeal of superhero films lies in the hope they inspire. “I’m not sure if good always triumphs over evil,” he reflected, “but the fact that superhero films make you hope for that is enough to keep you going and striving towards the right path.”

While superhero cinema is often critiqued for relying heavily on CGI spectacle, Babil sees its value differently. “Sometimes, it’s not about how technically sound or inventive a film is,” he said, “Sometimes, it’s simply about the feeling it leaves you with – and superhero films make you want to become a better version of yourself. I think that matters.”

Admiring the passion and effort behind cosplayers’ creations, Babil said, “To believe your way into creating worlds and characters is what I do for a living as an actor, so I feel at home at Comic Con. There’s also a certain bravery and rebelliousness to cosplay. It’s about standing up against the rigidity of reality and refusing to let go of imagination – and all the magic that comes with it. Sometimes, our souls need a little magic.”

For the actor, superheroes represent more than pop-culture. He revealed, “I was always that weird kid no one spoke to. It was difficult for me to make friends. I was often bullied, and for any child going through that kind of loneliness, superheroes and the imagination that came with them became the friends I desperately wanted. They created an inner world for me where resilience became my superpower.”

Aaishvary Thackeray has been roped in to replace Babil in the Hindi remake of Sai Rajesh’s Telugu hit Baby. The film hit a few bumps over the past months, when Babil exited from the project. In May this year, Babil courted controversy after a series of his emotional social media posts went viral. The posts led to a fallout between him and the director Sai Rajesh.

The project, which reportedly marks the debut of Govinda’s son Yashvardhan Ahuja in a key role, was temporarily put on hold. A source close to the project states, “The film is not on hold and neither is it shelved. The actors are currently doing workshops.” When we reached out to Sai Rajesh, he said, “This is speculation. We will announce the confirmed cast when the time is right. At this stage, it’s too early to comment.”

For the unversed, Babil and Sai had a fallout on social media wherein Babil even mentioned “slitting his wrist for the role.” In the comments section of Sai Rajesh's post, where the director called out the actor, Babil wrote, “You really broke my heart. After everything I've given to you. @satish_naidu1982 2 years of my life, complete physical atrocity to my body just so I can do justice to his character, I gave him my soul, rejected everything that came in my way for 2 years, anything and everything he needed, for 500 days of my life."

In a moment that sparked widespread concern, Babil Khan, son of late actor Irrfan, posted a series of emotional videos on Instagram Stories on Saturday. The now-deleted clips made their way to Reddit, showing him opening up about his experience in the entertainment industry.

“Bollywood is the most fakest, fakest, fakest industry that I’ve ever ever been a part of. But there are few people that want Bollywood to be better... I got to show to you so much more, so much more, so much more. I have so much more to give you,” the 26-year-old can be heard saying.

In another video, he mentioned some of his contemporaries: “I just want you guys to know that there are people like Shanaya Kapoor, Ananya Panday, Arjun Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Raghav Juyal, Adarsh Gourav and Arijit Singh. There are so many more names. Bollywood is so f*****.”

Even as he deleted and later reinstated his profile with 1.2M followers, several celebs came out to lend support (see right), with actor Harshvardhan Rane advising him to “stay away from parties”.

Filmmaker Sai Rajesh shared a lengthy note on Instagram criticizing the outburst and subsequent statement: “It feels like only those whose names were mentioned in his video deserve respect — and the rest of us are just fools for standing by him all this while? ...I genuinely wanted to stand by him even until an hour ago. But if you’re taking us for granted, that stops here. These sympathy games won’t work on us anymore. A sincere apology is the least you owe us.”

Babil replied, claiming Sai “really broke my heart”: “After everything I’ve given to you... Complete physical atrocity to my body just so I can do justice to his character, I gave him my soul, rejected everything that came in my way for 2 years, anything and everything he needed for 500 days of my life.”

He added, “Man, I had bugs in my beard because he needed that in the character. I gave him my laughter while I held back my tears. I slit my f****** wrist for him.”

Babil is reported to star in the remake of Sai’s  Telugu film Baby (2023). Babil later deleted his comments and Sai, his post.

On Sunday, Babil’s team issued a statement: “Babil has earned immense love and appreciation for his work, as well as for his openness about his mental health journey. Like anyone else, Babil is allowed to have difficult days, and this was one of them. We want to reassure all his well-wishers that he is safe and will be feeling better soon. That said, a video of Babil has been widely misinterpreted and taken out of context.”

The note further read, “In the clip, Babil was sincerely acknowledging a few of his peers whom he believes are making meaningful contributions to the evolving landscape of Indian cinema. His mention... came from a place of genuine admiration for their authenticity, passion, and efforts to restore credibility and heart in the industry.”

Babil entered the Hindi film industry as an excited newcomer, but four years down the line, the actor has experienced a drastic shift in his persona. During the recent promotions of his film Logout, Babil was seen with a more serious outlook.

Ask him how this shift happened and he shares, “I saw an interview of (actor) Ranbir Kapoor, where he was wearing a T-shirt printed with the words, ‘Authenticity is transient’. I related to that so much.”

The 25-year-old elaborates, “With the limelight on us, it’s easy to get stuck to an image. But, beyond that, I am a human being, and I will change as a person. Every day, my truth will change and evolve. Four years from now, I will probably not be the same and I don’t know what I’ll be. But that’s the point, not knowing where you’re going but just to try.”

Reflecting on how the industry has played a part in this change, he shares, “I came with my heart and arms open, but the industry broke me as a person. It hurt me a lot. I dealt with a lot of pain and anxiety.”

However, he says that the harsh experiences made him a better person: “Everything that’s happening to you is happening to help you evolve. The more you ask ‘why me’, it stops you from growing as a person.”

To Babil Khan, Logout presented an unmissable opportunity. Playing an influencer obsessed with internet validation in a thriller helmed by Amit Golani of TVF Pitchers fame felt like a “gift” to the actor. The Zee5 film also gave him the means to satiate his curiosity to understand people’s need for internet validation.

“I auditioned for it after Friday Night Plan [2023]. I didn’t have the luxury to choose. It was as if life gave me a gift to have the opportunity to perform this character in Amit sir’s [film]. I’m not an avid social media user. I post something and leave; I don’t scroll at all. But I wanted to understand what it is that makes people sacrifice their self-worth for validation from people you can’t even see,” he says.

Last year, Khan experienced the unforgiving side of the internet when he was trolled after a video of him from an event went viral. The clip featured him apologizing to a female celebrity multiple times after he realised he stood in front of her to get clicked at the red carpet. Netizens were quick to label his behaviour “extra” and “pretentious”. “I was being too nice, though,” he smiles, before pointing out that the reaction was instinctive given the situation.

“That ‘sorry sorry sorry’ was me being anxious. Whatever it became was a beast of its own. Some particular memes hurt me. I sat with [the feeling]. But I was scuba diving after that. I still could make music and read my books. It didn’t make me trust myself less.”

But that incident made Khan step away from public appearances. A personal choice, he says. He explains, “I felt there were things I needed to work on within myself. It wasn’t out of bitterness.” What were the changes he felt he needed to incorporate?

“I thought that there has to be a balance between the job of a celebrity, that of an actor and who you are as a human being. You have to find bridges between all of them.”

While many trolled the actor for the episode, a section also appreciated Khan’s chivalrous behaviour, something he has maintained since his debut with Qala (2022). Khan says he looks at the current times as a chance to transform the idea of an alpha male.

“After Gen-Z, generation Alpha has come in. It’s a great opportunity to evolve the alpha male. You can be the most macho man and still be respectful.”

Late actor Irrfan Khan’s wife, writer-producer Sutapa Sikdar, candidly opened up about the challenges faced by their son, actor Babil Khan, who has featured in The Railway Men and Qala, during her recent visit to Lucknow. Sutapa revealed how constant comparisons with his legendary father have created immense pressure on Babil, affecting his emotional well-being.

“Babil pe bahut zyada pressure hai aur mujhe yeh thik nahin lagta! This pressure should not be there. Irrfan never had this kind of burden, and when you don’t put pressure on yourself, your individuality shines. It’s not just about work; losing his father has left Babil almost in depression. Usmein yeh stress and comparison hai all the time. As a mother, I feel, ‘Please mere bachche ko chorr do.’ He’s very vulnerable and does not have a fighter’s spirit. His father was very strong and so am I, but genetically kahin se toh aaya hoga,” shared Sutapa.

Drawing parallels, she compared Babil’s journey to actor Abhishek Bachchan’s career struggles. “Like, Abhishek Bachchan did amazing work in I Want To Talk but wahi hai...comparisons with legendary Amitabh Bachchan have worked against him. I feel Babil is going through a similar ordeal. I just hope he overcomes it soon.”

On the professional front, Sutapa, who contributed to Kahani (2012), is slowly returning to her creative pursuits. She has consulted for two TV shows and is now working on a book and a film. “I am writing a book and a film, but to be honest, I am still unable to become an individual that I can focus on career or writing. I am unable to detach myself, and simultaneously, Babil’s career has started, and phir kabhi kuch, kabhi kuch…so I am still stuck. I have written the skeleton part of the film. Besides, I have started a book on Irrfan but not a serious preachy one and want to do it in a funny genre, which needs time,” she said.

Asked if she plans to direct or act in her film, she said, “Whoever I have narrated the concept has suggested that I should direct it. Babil can fit in as it’s about mother and son, but surely, I won’t act in it.”

How does a director, who is in the midst of shooting his movie, double up as a producer? It’s tricky, but worthwhile, says Shoojit Sircar. The Umesh Chronicles, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Babil Khan and Kriti Panth, is set to screen at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne on August 22. For Sircar, Pooja Kaul’s directorial venture is a “special film”.

“We shot it with Jakob Ihre [Chernobyl cinematographer] whom I’ve known since he shot Yahaan [2005]. Producing is tricky for me. So, I let my partner Ronnie Lahiri do the heavy lifting, and I looked after the creative part. In this film, the nostalgia of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s has come through beautifully, as has that era’s tranquility of life. It’s about a girl growing up. That’s a beautiful experience to bring to the screen,” he smiles.

The Umesh Chronicles marks Sircar’s first collaboration with Khan. As one of Irrfan’s closest friends, the filmmaker is naturally overprotective of the late actor’s son.

“I was always worried about Babil. I was very close to Irrfan, and for Babil, I think like a parent. I feel responsible for him. He and his mother Sutapa [Sikdar] drop in at my office the way Irrfan used to. We have chai and jhalmuri, and talk of movies. Babil will have to take his movies one by one. It’s a lot of pressure for him, and it’s important to keep his sanity when he is making choices. That talent he has and the star he hopes to become must be balanced. It’s his career, not Irrfan’s. He should never forget why he is doing what he is doing; he shouldn’t get lost in the glitz and glamour.”

It helps that Khan stars alongside Bachchan in the movie. The megastar is a constant fixture in Sircar’s films, be it the unreleased Shoebite or Piku (2015) or Gulabo Sitabo (2020). How does he rope in Bachchan so frequently?

“It’s always the script. That’s my biggest learning after years of working with him. If he connects with the story, you’ve won him over. He has been our support system. I was noticed because he agreed to do my films. He taught me that the written word is sacrosanct.”

It’s been a month since Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ambitious OTT debut series Heeramandi dropped on Netflix and the one person who has been discussed the most is his 28-year-old niece, Sharmin Segal. This is her second project after Malaal, and the Internet has been picking away at her performance. Most reviews say Segal’s laboured performance sticks out next to that of seasoned colleagues. But the armchair critic on the ’Gram has also zoomed into the micro-expressions of colleagues as an unprepared Segal gives interviews.

Where does so much hate come from?

The industry consensus is that Segal and many young actors become soft targets for the Internet. “Hate for Sharmin comes from nepotism because she is Mr Bhansali’s niece,” says Tushar Joshi, a film critic with India Today. “In my interview, Mr Bhansali spoke about why he cast her. Alamzeb was meant to naïve, and if you watch the show with Sanjay’s words in mind, you realise that this was their vision for the character.”

Nikhil Taneja, mental health advocate and co-founder of Yuva (a Gen Z-focused media company) agrees that star kids have it worst. “The root of the vitriol towards Sharmin or Suhana Khan or Khushi Kapoor comes from the fact that people are struggling themselves; they naturally dislike those who have easy access. This happened with The Archies as well.”

While this normalized the conversation around nepotism, making it more than a passing discourse, it’s a fine line into harsh trolling. “The Internet has made being a****les cool,” says Taneja, “People need to understand that being unkind to people is not okay. To say that someone is a bad actor is understandable, but to shame people on how they look, behave and talk, you are projecting your understanding of the person.”

So much so that colleague Richa Chadha had to step in to shield her colleague to say, “Criticism has to be constructive. If someone doesn’t like your work, one could say, ‘okay the body language isn’t believable. [or] The voice tonality isn’t okay’. When we start operating like that, we help the actor grow. Actors bhi insaan hai, mental health sabka kharab hota hai.”

An image consultant adds, “The Internet and social media have simply allowed people to say things without being held accountable. We come from the culture of wanting to pull down the next.”

And, it doesn’t help, the professional says caustically that, “Gen Z stars want to be everyone except themselves. They invite hate by being inauthentic. If you are being hypocritical, you can’t cry about it.” 

They say it may be their job to protect the client’s image, but that’s hard when they don’t have the personality they try to project. “A lot of it is their own doing,” the image consultant said, “They’re like: ‘Oh I wanna have Kareena’s sassy personality on the Internet’. You can’t become someone else if you are not naturally that.”

Recently, a clip went viral in which Babil Khan, actor Irrfan Khan’s son, is seen apologizing to a woman after he unknowingly bombed her red carpet pictures. One user wrote, “He makes Vanga look better as I can at least see straight forward toxicity”. Another said, “There’s something so spectacularly insidious about a man who makes a whole performance out of being nice. Like who even are u when ur not performing”.

Here, a digital content creator says, freedom of expression is rebellion against the careful curating of personalities. “Comedy is not bullying; it is a commentary,” she says, “My Babil Khan video did well because people are recognizing that his PR has a tendency of projecting him as a little saintly boy. He is already a kind, sweet, wonderful person; cut out the extra drama of buying memes saying, ‘Oh such a green flag’.”

She sees her role to be in line with the press’s: Cutting stars and their perceptions to size. “Be yourself, be authentic. Let us decide if you are a green flag,” she says.

However, Taneja, who shot with Babil last year, says, “He is a visibly anxious person. He has been very open about his grief, his mental health, losing his father so unexpectedly, his living parent. Being vulnerable has made him a soft target. His every move is analyzed, he has to live up to the pressure of carrying forward the legacy of  one of the world’s greatest actors. People need to stop and analyse whether they are punching up or punching down. ”

Abhishek Thukral of the boutique PR Agency Hardly Anonymous Communications, says the hate for Segal is a case study on things going too far. And that it’s the publicist’s responsibility to coach a fresh actor on media perception, and check things when they go too far.

“No actor is great in every project,” he says, “And that’s okay. But when an actor is going for promotions of a big show or movie, they must be prepared better. There is a reason experts are hired to give sound advice to talents.”

He adds that young actors have to be trained in facing the press with mock drills to help them field questions better. “You can’t go into a Heeramandi underprepared,” Thukral says.

And in the case of someone who is being launched into the industry, a publicist’s role is to condition the audience to the new person. With star kids, it’s made to look organic with a slow trickle of snapshots from their personal life, with the more recognized or influential parent. “The world should be familiarized with the person before the launch,” says Thukral, “Who are they? What do they like?”

Where do film critics come in all this? In the era of social media, are they mindful of how far their words could travel? Are they aware harsh ones could set off a tsunami of hate? 

“A reviewer’s job to take a movie or a show, recommend or fault it,” Raja Sen, film critic, says. “It is your informed opinion. You must present your perspective such that people have a solid idea as to why I like a certain show.”

The critic-filmmaker dynamic is professional, he says, and crucial for better storytelling. They serve as gatekeepers of entertainment and the craft. “Sometimes people in the movies think of criticism as a personal attack,” says Sen. “No it is not; we don’t know these people personally and we are reacting to the work, not the people. As critics, however, the review should lucidly explain what we are finding revolting so that the reader can make up their own mind.”

When the critic-audience-filmmaker is bound by this authentic service, everyone benefits. “Ram Gopal Varma once told me that bad reviews are the only ones worth reading,” continues Sen. “I am not telling a filmmaker where to start a scene; I am saying the movie was a traumatic experience for me. That should make them pause and ask why.”

Joshi agrees somewhat: “Reviews are feedback for course correction; I won’t write the person off. I won’t use harsh words; won’t slam beyond redemption. If a performance is abysmal, we need to ask ‘What isn’t working?’”

He agrees that the conversation is about the craft, not the person. “You ask if the actor getting better with their films, says Joshi, “It’s a conversation about Janhvi Kapoor right now, that her performances are of similar nature. I understand that the actor put themselves out there, [so] they have to be open to critique. But attacks can’t be of a personal nature.”

In a time when perception can be shaped through influencers, Sen believes the role of the critic is even more important. “When I look at criticism today, I see a lot of soft pedalling and pacifying in reviews. There are many agendas, many camps...” he says. “[So] the role of a reviewer is even more crucial now. A critic can’t be wishy washy. In order to stay relevant, they need to be honest.”

In many ways, Reels and other reactions on the Internet are the “authentic” response to this micromanagement of perception. “Through Reels,” opines Sen, “people are representing some authentic experience. It may not be cool, but they are true to their experience. The problem is that they are unfiltered, but they too are a work of passion.”

And once they are out there, algorithms take over, and everyone jumps on the trend to be seen. “We mirror the audience’s mood,” says content creator Arindam Thapliyal. “Our content only reflects what the public feels. Content creators are putting up videos only to stay relevant. They aren’t trying to attack any star.”

He says it’s the public mood  that colours the conversation. “It makes a plain comedy video seem like an attack. The videos, if you notice say nothing; it is the comments that are hateful.”

Hate is best managed early, and the publicist we spoke to earlier believes Segal’s image spiralled out of hand. “Narratives can be controlled by buying media narratives, social media memes. The process of any damage control is different. If my client has said something elitist, ignorant, I would suggest acknowledging, apologizing and moving on. If it’s political, I suggest not meddling. If a newcomer is getting hate, you have to counter with positive narratives.”

Individual responsibility, unheard of on the web, will need to be practised soon. “The Internet is our second home and to keep it clean, hate free and non-toxic is as much our responsibility,” says Taneja. “It is not long before we all start being shaped by this hate.”

While reading the script of his next project, Babil gets ready for a photo shoot with BT in his Oshiwara home, where he moved in with his parents, Irrfan and Sutapa Sikdar, and brother Ayaan, when he was 17.

Wearing a blue shirt made from three shawls recycled by his mother, paired with yellow pants, he says, “I’m bad at photoshoots. They are so structured, so I get a little lost.” In a conversation with us, he talks about letting go of the pressure of proving himself as an actor and how his upbringing has influenced his career choices. Excerpts:

Babil firmly believes that an actor needs to find a character within themselves. “It’s a myth when actors say, ‘I’m getting into a character’. I don’t think you can become another person. I feel every kind of person already exists within you. It’s just that you don’t confront that part of you. The moment you surrender to yourself, you can shed parts that are not the character and keep the parts that are like the character.”

The actor who received critical acclaim for his work in the recent web show, The Railway Men (TRM), believes that these projects brought about a positive change in him.

“I cannot depend on any project and hang on to its success. I move on. However, TRM has influenced my self-belief in a positive way. I am more excited about art. Before it, I wanted to prove a lot, but the baggage of proving myself as an actor has reduced a lot now. I have realized that the feeling of proving yourself should not bring you down. Earlier, it would eat me up, but now, wanting to prove myself has become a positive feeling.”

“You can either choose to have a strong character or an easy life,” Babil says during the conversation. The thought sounds intriguing, but does Babil believe he has a strong character? The Qala actor answers, “I was born in a very small family, I don’t come from money as such. I was raised very modestly; I wouldn’t even say we were a middle-class family. When I was born, baba was doing television, and he had to beg producers for his money, and mamma was writing. They were both working parents. I think when I was 12 or 13, they started seeing success and for the first time, I saw comfort in their eyes. They still didn’t give me money (laughs). I don’t take myself very seriously at all. Right now, I have to be very careful with my ego, especially with not having mamma around as she is busy, and I don’t have any friends. So, I spend a lot of time with myself.”

Babil wears his vulnerability on his sleeves. While a certain section states his articulate responses are a publicity gimmick, he reveals that he is often censored by his publicists. He shares, “It does feel like a cage sometimes. But it’s only a cage if you look at it like that. If they don’t do their jobs, I will not be able to do my job. Public perception is a beast of its own, so if they don’t take care of that, and I do that myself, I won’t be able to focus on my art.”

Three films old, Babil is one of those rare industry kids, who have not faced criticism for their background. “When my father passed away, the initial reaction I got was sympathy and positivity. After a point, if I had let go of my values and done things that would not have aligned with my values – like not giving an audition or making certain phone calls – it would have brought me negativity. At home, I have been taught that humanity prevails over any kind of success. That is the real reason why I have been perceived positively by people. I could never go on a set thinking I don’t deserve to be there.”

Singer-musician Jasleen Royal’s latest song, Dastoor, has her sharing screen space with Babil Khan. Not many know that the two, who collaborated for the first time on the music video, share a special history, thanks to Babil’s actor-father, the late Irrfan Khan.

“I hadn’t moved to Mumbai at that time. Irrfan sir liked one of my songs, Panchhi Hojavan, and he called me because he was having a musical night. I had met Babil there. Both Irrfan sir and he said, ‘We love your songs.’ It felt so nice to receive appreciation for my art from the legend. He was really warm,” she smiles.

Royal says she had a fantastic time shooting for Dastoor with Babil. While he may be relatively new in front of the camera, the singer has no doubt about his command over the craft.

She shares, “He is a skilled actor, and has such aura that he lights up the set. I loved working with him. On the sets of Dastoor, Babil told me, ‘Baba used to keep listening to your songs in his library.’ That’s such a precious compliment.”

As Goa gears up to host the 54th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) starting November 20, there’s a lot in store for movie buffs to look forward to. While the film screenings, masterclass and in-conversation sessions with the members of the film fraternity are the high point of the 9-day film extravaganza, the star presence at IFFI is going to be on an all-time high this year. 

Starting from Salman Khan who will be attending the gala premiere of his production Farrey that marks the debut of his niece Alizeh Agnihotri, Sara Ali Khan and Karan Johar bringing their film Ae Watan Mere Watan at the festival, to Pankaj Tripathi at the screening of his film Kadak Singh, IFFI has quite a glitzy line-up of celebs present for their respective film premieres. Others names that are going to be present for their film premiers include actors Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjana Sanghi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Urvashi Rautela, Prachi Desai, Parvathy Thiruvothu and Akshay Oberoi.

Not just the red carpet premiers, the masterclass and in-conversation sessions, too, are going to be driven by star power and some extremely meaningful conversations on a variety of subjects pertaining to film business. Some of the speakers would include Sunny Deol, Vidya Balan, Rani Mukerji, Manoj Bajpayee, Boney Kapoor, Dolly Ahluwalia and the cast of web show The Railway Men - actors R Madhavan, Babil Khan, Kay Kay Menon and Divyenndu Sharma, alongside filmmaker Rahul Rawail, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, directors Kartiki Gonsalves, Jasmeet K. Reen and Raj & DK, producers Guneet Monga and Apoorva Bakshi and sound designer Resul Pookutty.

Besides members from the Hindi film industry, several top names from the South film industries are also going to make their presence felt at the film festival. Vijay Sethupathi will be in conversation with actor Khushbu Sunder, while Naga Chaitanya will be in attendance for the gala premier of his project Dhootha.

Actor Babil has been turning heads not only for his sartorial choices but also for his skills as an artiste. However, the 25-year-old receives appreciation and trolling in equal parts for his choices.

“I am being lauded for [my fashion], but I am being trolled a lot, too, because I make risky choices,” says Babil, adding, “But I’m not scared of putting myself out there. Yes, I will get trolled, but if you don’t take yourself too seriously and don’t think from a space of ego, then you are much more productive and will see more growth in your art.”

Talking about the lessons imparted by his father, the late actor Irrfan, Babil shares, “When he was around, I never failed or felt it. It was only after he left that I got a fear of failure.” He continues, “Watching him pass away, I got such a strong sense of mortality. There is no time to doubt yourself. Kya hoga? Log mazaak udaaayenge? Troll karenge? At least you put yourself out there and that’s your win. That’s what I learned.”

Babil’s connection with his mother, Sutapa Sikdar, is also deep and integral to his journey. “I am nothing without my mother. Every move I make, I need to have her by my side,” says the actor, adding, “If I go to an event and everyone is pampering me, when I come back home, my mum sits me down and gives me 15 criticisms on how I can become better. That’s how she keeps me grounded.”

He often gets asked on social media if he’s intoxicated most of the time. Addressing that, he says, “People keep saying, ‘He looks high’, because of my eyes. But, yeh eyes mujhe baba se mili hain, I have baggy eyes and that’s it.”

Fear is not a place Babil Khan operates from. He believes in surrendering to life. In that regard, he is the polar opposite of his character Sid from his next, Friday Night Plan. But embracing a character different from oneself is among the joys of acting. Babil, who debuted with Qala (2022), decodes his second venture, saying, “I allow life to influence my decisions, and think it will take care of me. But in Sid’s case, life betrays him. In such a case, the fear is so strong that you are governed by all the things that could go wrong [and make] 80 back-up plans. Since I couldn’t relate to that thought process, I tried finding a place within me that I am truly scared of.”

Director Vatsal Neelakantan’s upcoming Netflix film revolves around two bickering brothers, essayed by Babil and Amrith Jayan, whose night out turns into a misadventure. The trailer shows Juhi Chawla as a disciplinarian mother to the two boys. To Babil, even that little nugget is divorced from his real life. “There is nothing hidden from each other at our home. You want to party? Go ahead,” he smiles, cherishing the atmosphere of honesty that producer-mother Sutapa Sikdar has built.

Asked if his brother Ayaan and he are scolded by their mother, the actor says, “We haven’t really troubled her, but she calls us namoona. She would even call Baba [the late Irrfan Khan] a namoona.”

Irrfan Khan and Sikdar were married for 25 years before he passed away in April 2020 due to cancer. With his demise, Indian cinema lost one of its finest actors, who had built a filmography that was at once awe-inspiring and unmatched. Visibly emotional about his parents’ love-filled relationship, Babil says Sikdar used to be Irrfan’s strongest critic.

“He was a focused and fearless man. But I believe Baba wouldn’t have reached the level of artistic success if it wasn’t for Mumma. She is an excellent acting critic. I used to go to screenings with him where people wouldn’t stop raving about him, his eyes and talent. Then, we would reach home and Mumma would play the film and say, ‘Please sit, Irrfan. The decision you took in that scene is reflecting in another scene, and it’s not looking honest.’ She is a brilliant and intelligent woman, without whom Baba wouldn’t have been the actor he was.”

Babil is actively seeking to step out of his comfort zone and venture into uncharted territory as an actor. After his debut Qala, (2022) the actor is all set for his second OTT outing, Friday Night Plan. The 25-year-old has no qualms about the medium people see him on.

“I never had the desire ki mujhe big screen par hi aana hai. I just wanted to work as an actor. I want to reach the audiences and their hearts. Now, whether it’s through OTT, computers, phone or theatre, I don’t care,” shares Babil.

The actor, son of the late actor and world cinema icon Irrfan, adds that he doesn’t have too many choices at present. “Mujhe jo mila, maine kar diya. I don’t get scripts every day. Mujhe bhar bhar ke offers nahin aate hain that I can choose and decide which medium I want to work in,” he says, adding, “I give a lot of auditions and whenever I get selected, I just read the script, and if I like it, I do it irrespective of where it will release.”

The one thing he is particular about is to constantly embrace changes, as that’s integral to his craft. “I love to transition, I love to change. I will never be able to do just one thing again and again. Intense [characters] pakdo and woh hi karte raho kyunki aapko wohi aata hai — that’s not me. I hate that. I want to get uncomfortable,” says the actor.

Naturally, his next is a much “lighter and fun” project. “I wanted to bring back the joy of performing. And I found Friday Night Plan a very relatable and feel-good film. With all the mental health issues, anxiety and strange times that we are going through, this is something that you can breeze through and feel good about,” he shares.

In the film, Babil plays an 18-year-old and faced his share of challenges while getting the emotions right. “My character is scared of failure and that’s why he’s always protecting himself and planning life too much. He lost his father, and that’s the only thing I could relate to,” he divulges, calling himself totally opposite of his on-screen portrayal. “I allow life to guide me. I don’t make plans or strategise or over-analyse. I am a go-with-the-flow person,” he wraps up.

I am being lauded for them, no doubt. But I am being trolled a lot too, because I make these risky choices. That’s what fashion is these days. And not just fashion, with everything. Don’t be scared to put yourself out there. You will get trolled, but if you don’t take yourself too seriously and if you don’t make yourself feel too important from a space of ego, and then you put yourself out there, it is much more productive and you will see that there is more growth in your art because of that.

There was no big studio backing the launch of late actor Irrfan’s son Babil Khan, nor did the latter play the protagonist in his debut film, Qala (2022). That’s because he is trying to carve a niche for himself without feeding off his dad’s legacy and privileges that come with being who he is.

“I’ve experienced privilege in life, why must I hide from that truth? I am not trying to battle any questions that come with privilege,” says the 24-year-old, adding, “To use privilege as a short cut to success is not our way, but to utilize [that] privilege to grow and evolve is essential. This notion arises in me from the understanding that life gives you privilege as an opportunity, but the way you put that opportunity into effect is the test of your character. Instead of using my privilege to fetch work, I utilize the privilege of baba’s connections through being around and absorbing from people that are masters of the craft. I then apply the knowledge gained from those experiences in auditions and my work.”

Going forward, what does his plan look like? “What I desire today is probably different from what I may desire tomorrow. Why must I burden myself and limit my experience with something as unreliable as a plan?” he reasons.

“My way is to dream big and work relentlessly on the craft that is the source of passion in my dreams and life will take care of the rest, the planning in particular. I am not here to plan for myself, I am here to enjoy the experience of life’s plan for me. There is no plan, there is an eventual goal which is of internal evolution and that’s it,” Babil wraps up.

Babil Khan was in Jaipur recently to attend an event hosted on his father Irrfan’s birth anniversary. Babil tells us, “With a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, I could feel the warmth of the beautiful relationship my father shared with people in his hometown Jaipur. The joy of meeting his fans and friends is inexplicable. When people say that I remind them of my father, they make me happy. It’s a validation for me and motivates me.”

Babil loves penning his thoughts and has written poems dedicated to his dad. Does he see himself writing a book on Irrfan? He says, “I don’t know if I would ever like to dedicate a book to my father. What we shared is too personal. I don’t want to put that on paper. My writings (songs and poetry) did help me navigate through my emotional highs and lows.”

Talking about how he realised his dream to make a career in cinema, he shares, “I think the first time I discovered that I could be an actor was in Class VIII, when I took part in a school play based on William Shakespeare’s The Comedy Of Errors. However, my desire to be an actor was always suppressed. I was so weighed down by the fear of being compared to Baba that I could never consider a career in showbiz. It took me a lot of time to accept that I could pursue acting as a career.”

Like other celebrity kids, Babil confesses to having felt the pressure of measuring up to a celebrity father. He says, “Of course, I still feel the pressure of being a celebrity kid, but I have realized that a true worth of a man is best realized when he has to deliver his best amid all the pressure. While my friends are enjoying life and falling in love, I am sitting at home and reading scripts because I cannot mess up my auditions, as I am Irrfan’s son.”

When asked if he’d like to trace back Irrfan’s acting journey, Babil says, “During my next trip to Jaipur, I want to go to Ravindra Manch and see the place that gave birth to Irrfan, the actor. I don’t want to visit that place as an actor, but as a son. My growth and journey as an actor has to be different from Baba’s journey.”

Before signing his debut film Qala, Babil had auditioned for 30 other projects. He says, “I have accepted the fact that being Irrfan’s son is a privilege, but it has not added to my market value. I have given more than 30 auditions in the past year. In fact, I had to audition for Qala thrice before I got picked. I have landed all my projects after auditions, after the makers were satisfied with my mettle as an actor.”

In the eight grade, while enacting a scene on stage, Babil had failed to recollect his lines. While most people would fumble and perhaps walk out, he found himself capable of analysing the situation, and improvising, instead. “That’s when I fell in love with this profession — when I could create and improvise. I never fell in love with acting only because my father was an actor,” says late actor Irrfan Khan’s son, who is gearing up for his Bollywood debut with Anvita Dutt’s Qala.

Following Khan’s untimely demise in 2020, Babil admits to feeling overwhelmed as people expected him to fill the void. “Baba is who he is. I was a young child, who had lost his father. I was cracking under pressure, wondering who I am doing this for, because baba’s fans would [call me], the ‘next Irrfan’.”

But, it was in Dutt’s company that Babil could identify his strengths. He commenced filming Qala only a few  months after Irrfan’s demise. But before he got into the skin of his character, he spent days discussing his life, and loss, with Dutt.

“Anvita has a special skill — she makes you feel like you can tell her anything. When I would talk to her about baba, I would often say something painful, and immediately cloak it with laughter. She would ask, ‘Why are you laughing?’ When I’d ask her what she meant, she’d say, ‘You are coping with pain’. Having that kind of support helps you become comfortable in your skin. It gave me the confidence to be who I am.”

In Netflix’s period drama that releases on December 1, Babil plays an aspiring singer, Jagan, who gets his golden ticket when he is discovered by a renowned artiste, played by Swastika Chatterjee.

The actor admits that since wrapping up Qala, he is more assured in his ability to deal with the expectations of being his father’s son. “Now when people call me the ‘next Irrfan’, I feel love. What matters is the evolution of the craft. As long as I can do that, I will be happy.”