After 6 years, Babil Khan is done apologising for being himself

Babil Khan has spent six years in front of the camera, and the hardest role may be the one social media keeps offering him: the star kid who is too emotional. In a recent chat, the actor said he is no longer letting that label decide how he lives.

The conversation comes after years of online commentary about the way he expresses himself.

The trolling, and his reply

In 2024, a clip of Khan repeatedly saying sorry after accidentally stepping into a person’s frame at an event went viral. The apology loop was read by many as performance, and the words fake and pretentious followed.

Asked about that criticism in a chat with Rachit Singh, Khan was direct.

“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.”

He also pushed back on the assumption that sensitive people are fragile. Being emotional, he said, does not mean he is weak or cannot handle tough times.

That distinction matters because a live poll on the topic has already drawn thousands of votes, showing how divided audiences remain on public vulnerability.

A career lived in public

For fans who have followed him since the beginning, the timeline helps explain why the scrutiny is so loud:

• Worked behind the camera on Irrfan Khan’s Qarib Qarib Singlle.
• Made his acting debut in Qala in 2022, alongside Triptii Dimri and Swastika Mukherjee.
• Won appreciation for the 2023 series The Railway Men.
• Starred opposite Juhi Chawla in the 2023 coming-of-age comedy Friday Night Plan.
• Appeared in Logout in 2025, then stepped back from the limelight and social media.
• Returned to social media in October 2025 and began a new, still-under-wraps series in May 2026.

Reports have also suggested he may make his South Indian film debut in a project by Babu Janardhanan, though Khan has not confirmed that.

Why it matters to fans

Babil’s honesty lands differently because of his surname. As Irrfan Khan’s son, every gesture is watched against the memory of one of India’s most admired actors. The comparison is not always fair, but it is relentless.

His decision to keep wearing his heart on his sleeve is a small rebellion against the idea that a public figure must be guarded. It gives younger fans permission to be open, and it keeps the conversation about emotional strength in Bollywood alive.

The next test arrives with his upcoming series and a possible southern debut. If the work connects, the chatter may finally shift from how he expresses his feelings to what he does with them on screen.

Source: The Times of India