HOW SOON IS NOW

ACTING REALLY IS IN BABIL KHAN'S BLOOD. HE CONFIDES TO SRIJITA SEN THAT WHILE HE HAS EMBRACED THE REALITY OF BEING IRRFAN KHAN'S SON, HE'S EAGER TO CARVE HIS OWN LEGACY

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Babil Khan is in the news for his mental health and his breakdown. He shared a couple of videos and later removed them, where he spoke about Bollywood being the ‘fakest’ industry and broke down on camera. He named some of his colleagues, such as Ananya Panday, Shanaya Kapoor, Adarsh Gaurav and Siddhant Chaturvedi, among others, which made netizens feel that they have been bullying the actor. The videos drew so much criticism that Babil had to re-activate his social media account and issue a clarification. Ever since, netizens have been concerned about Babil’s mental well-being. We reached out to him for a statement and got no response. However, it does not surprise me. A couple of weeks before this incident, when I met Babil for an interview, he was under the weather and hinted about feeling lonely and isolated. Although his eyes were bursting with enthusiasm, the dark circles beneath told another story.. He confessed he hasn't slept well in days. The legendary actor Irrfan Khan's son is building a name for himself with films and series such as Qala, Friday Night Plan and The Railway Men. Babil is acutely aware of the legacy he has to carry forward. He also knows that, no matter what he does, comparisons with Irrfan will never cease. In this freewheeling chat, Babil opens his heart and answers all our questions candidly. Excerpts:

You share a lot about Irrfan Khan on social media. Is it a way to cope with your father’s absence?

No, not really. That’s a personal process. But I wanted to share what it felt like so that if there is anyone else going through the same thing, they can feel a little comforted. If there is even one person who gets some kind of hope or help from it, I will do it. I don’t mind going through the pain if there is even one person who relates. There are some compliments that reach out to your soul, and you want to fight the good fight for humanity.