‘You’re screwed, I'm good at what I do’: Irrfan Khan once warned his actor-to-be son of his legacy

The late actor’s son, Babil, speaks about the opportunities he got because of his father

Late Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan’s son, Babil Khan, is all set to make his debut with a Netflix film titled Qala alongside Triptii Dimri. However, the young star kid has had a rather tough beginning venturing into the showbiz industry and he blames nepotism for it. In a recent interview with GQ, Babil talked about his desire to do justice to his privilege, his late father’s advices, and the bumpy start he faced while trying to make a mark in Bollywood.

Babil admitted that the opportunity to star in Anvita Dutt’s Qala happened because of his father’s legacy; otherwise, he wasn’t successful in auditions. He shared that the casting people “worked on it” with him as he wasn’t exceptional. Earlier, the star was also rejected for a part in Ang Lee’s Life of Pi which stars his late father, Irrfan, in a memorable role. 

Given his father’s long list of accolades in acting, Babil shared that he is well aware of the expectations people have of him. “Pressure in itself is a privilege. The expectations from me are markers of my privilege. Either you can beat yourself up and feel guilty about it or accept it with humility and harness it into your work. I’ve ­chosen the latter. I’m grateful for the opportunities that I know others won’t get as easily as I have. If I can’t use my privilege and justify it through my craft, it’d be such a waste,” he said.

Recalling a conversation about his acting struggles with Irrfan when he was seriously ill, Babil shared that his father warned him. “You’re screwed. I’m really good at what I do. You’ll have to be very, very good at this,” were Irrfan’s words. 

Upwards and onwards from here hopefully, apart from Qala, Babil will also be seen in YRF’s web series The Railway Men, based on the Bhopal gas tragedy.

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