Actor Babil Khan, son of late actor Irrfan Khan, has often found himself at the receiving end of social media trolling for his emotional behaviour, which some people have labelled as ‘overacting’. In a recent conversation with Rachit Singh, Babil opened up about being trolled for being himself and revealed that, after six years in the industry, he has learnt to detach himself from the negativity and move on.
Babil Khan talks about facing a lot for being himself
In 2024, Babil faced criticism after a video of him repeatedly apologising to a woman for accidentally photobombing her at an event went viral. Some social media users called him ‘fake’ and ‘pretentious’. Talking about the trolling, the actor revealed that his reaction to ‘stealing’ someone’s moment on the red carpet was “natural”. He admitted that, at the time, his instinct was mixed with self-doubt and that he was aware people might think he was overacting just by looking at him.
In May 2025, another video of Babil breaking down while talking about Bollywood went viral, leading to further criticism. His team later clarified that his comments had been taken out of context and that he was having a difficult day.
The actor revealed that, over his six-year journey as an actor, he has learnt to be unapologetic about who he is. Responding to his critics, he said, “I will be myself. I have faced a lot for being myself, but finally I don’t care. It still hurts, but that power of hurt is very little. I still wear my heart on my sleeves. I can just understand my relationship with the hurt, have a detachment from the experience, and move forward.”
During a rapid-fire round, Babil also spoke about how people often mistake his emotional nature for weakness. He said that people assume he is ‘weak’ and does not have the strength to endure difficult situations because he is emotional, but that is not the case.
About Babil Khan’s journey
Babil began his career as a camera assistant before making his acting debut. He worked as a camera assistant on his father Irrfan Khan’s film Qarib Qarib Singlle. He eventually made his acting debut in 2022 with Qala, alongside Triptii Dimri and Swastika Mukherjee. The film received positive reviews from critics.
He followed it up with a performance in the series The Railway Men (2023), which earned him praise. In the same year, he also featured in the coming-of-age comedy Friday Night Plan, alongside Juhi Chawla. In 2025, he appeared in the film Logout, after which he took a break and stepped away from the spotlight and social media.
In October 2025, Babil returned to social media, and in May 2026, he resumed work on an upcoming project. Details of the project are yet to be revealed. While he has confirmed that he is working on a series without sharing further details, he is also reportedly preparing to make his debut in South Indian cinema with a film by Babu Janardhanan. However, the actor is yet to confirm the news.