Bollywood actor Babil Khan: 'I resonate with needing external validation'

We are a day into the and Bollywood is already closing ranks. Actors who were named in Khan’s video decrying the industry as fake are speaking up in support on social media even as his public relations team goes on the offensive, issuing a statement about video bytes being taken out of context while revealing that Babil was “just having a difficult day”.

Veteran actors are also putting their two cents in, calling his move to air issues on social media silly while expressing hope for a healthy rebound.

Babil, the 26-year-old son of the late actor Irrfan Khan, has been making headlines since his debut in the 2002 film Qala. He has also worked on the miniseries The Railway Men, and the recently released movie Logout, available to stream on Zee5 Global.

 He has been open and honest about struggling with his father’s demise (Irrfan was only 53 years old when he passed away in 2020) and his mother, writer and producer Sutapa Sikdar, has spoken about Babil being ‘almost in depression’ and under a lot of pressure.

She said at an event in Lucknow, India, earlier this year, “He is very vulnerable and does not have a fighter's spirit. His father was very strong and so am I, but genetically it must have come from somewhere.”

Babil Khan in Logout

When City Times sat down to talk about his movie Logout, he admitted that he had a bit of a culture shock when he moved to Mumbai and joined his father’s industry. “It was a conscious decision to keep me away from showbiz when I was a child. Later, when I got into the industry, when my father was alive, I was okay, I took that protection for granted. When he passed away, that's when I started feeling the pressures and the anxieties of  showbiz.

“But the magic is that my entire life was preparing me for that moment. So, when I stepped on there and I and I was just myself, without any training, without any practice, and people seem to like it. It was fresh, apparently.”

But if he was so ready for the limelight, what happened on Sunday?

In the video, posted on Insta on Sunday and since deleted, a disheveled and red-eyed Babil names Ananya Panday, Shanaya Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Raghav Juyal, Adarsh Gourav, Arjun Kapoor, and Arijit Singh before going on to say that the industry is “rude” and  “the fakest”, leading people to believe he was accusing them of terrible behaviour. He appears to be tearing up as he speaks.

A day on, that narrative seems to have changed, with the family and his publicists putting out a statement that says: “In the clip, Babil was sincerely acknowledging a few of his peers whom he believes are making meaningful contribution to the evolving landscape of Indian cinema. His mention of artists ….came from a place of genuine admiration for their authenticity, passion, and efforts to restore credibility and heart in the industry.”

Reacting to the statement, Panday wrote, “Only love and good energy for you Babil, always in your corner.” And Chaturvedi said in an Instagram Story, “I usually never engage in [expletive] written about me and my colleagues, but this one's personal. So, to all the Redditors, Gossip columns, and media portals of the Internet. Stop. We love to hate and hate to love, is this what we've come to? Stop looking for drama here. All of us are working hard to bring drama to you on your screens.”

In Qala

The episode may or may not have been a PR stunt, but it does call attention to a battle faced by all celebrities and one that the younger generation is particularly vulnerable to – being perfect under the spotlight no matter what is going on in the background (that is, in real life).

Among the pitfalls of earning a pedestal too quickly is the pressure that comes to perform well all the time, the confusion that comes from being surrounded by ‘yes men and women’ instead of truth talkers, and a tight schedule that accounts for every moment of your day.

Add social media's long memory to the mix and, well, this move has the potential to cost him dearly.

Still, we expect a cheerful comeback from the star child, who told us about the weight of emotions and how his father taught him to deal with them. “People think happiness is good, joy is good, pain is bad, anxiety is bad. The only reason I know inherently that these are just emotions, and nothing is black and white, and nothing is good and bad, and nothing is right or wrong, is because of my father.

“He never taught me anything about acting. He lived with me, and he laughed with me, and that's how I learned. I think you learn a lot in in those moments. You are automatically learning how to live life, and life is teaching you. Life is your best friend. You don't need much if you start, if we start listening to life, I think that's all we need,” he added.

In his recent movie, Logout, he plays a social media influencer on a mission to get 10 million followers. He’s on the cusp of this milestone moment when a fan gets access to his phone. “I resonate with needing external validation,” he mulled, talking about his character in the film, adding that what keeps him grounded is turning witness to his own emotions. “Observe it from a distance. See the effects of it on you. See what it's doing to you,” he said. And you can pick your narrative. Take auditions, for instance. “People have this really strange idea that auditions are nerve wracking, but the moment you change your perception towards it [it works out]. They can be a great way to practice acting. That is where I go and understand acting. And every audition makes me a better actor.”

Which is the real Babil – the confident young star one sees on the big screen or the emotionally struggling artist we’ve just been introduced to on social media? At this point, it seems a bit of both. Stay strong Babil, this too shall pass.

Do the kids of stars grow up too fast?

No matter how sheltered one is, being the child of a star – especially one who follows in their parent’s footsteps – comes with quiet pressure. “It is an entirely different childhood if you are constantly being watched and observed. You didn’t ask for the spotlight, but got it anyway. It’s basically an adapted child who is raised, whose personality forms under the influence of what the parent does. The star parent and the public have expectations of the child which don’t allow the child to be an innocent kid who makes mistakes. They lose the right to privacy, they are judged for their choices before they are even capable of really making wise decisions,” explains Dr Tara Wyne, clinical psychologist and clinical director  at UAE-based Lighthouse Arabia.

“There can be a lot of envy from peers and alienation and inability to trust others as you are never sure it’s you they are interested in. Inevitably, there will be comparisons with the parent, is the child as attractive, talented, special. This can cause a sense of defectiveness and shame for children of stars. Children may never feel truly seen for who they are, only for how much they resemble the parent, live up to the parent or how much they disappoint the parent. The life of a star parent is a complex world for a child to enter, privilege doesn’t protect the child from the loss of anonymity and psychological safety,” she adds.