Babil Khan on using his ‘privilege’ as Irrfan Khan’s son: Using privilege as a short cut to success is not our way

Babil Khan is no stranger to fielding questions about the legacy left behind by his father, the late Irrfan Khan. One would think that being an actor himself, Babil would have it easy breaking into the industry. But the young actor says that while he acknowledges the privilege that he has, he makes sure to use it wisely.

In conversation with Hindustan Times, Babil said that he never tried to hide the fact that he did have a certain amount of privilege, being the son of a great actor such as Irrfan. Instead of denying it, he tried to stay true to his morality and the values he was raised with while trying to make the best use of that privilege.

“To use privilege as a short cut to success is not our way, but to utilise privilege to grow and evolve is essential”, he said.

The Qala actor said that he viewed his privilege as an opportunity, and the way he put that privilege to use ultimately defined his character. Instead of using it to find work, Babil chose to use the connections he got from his father to be around and learn from people who were masters of the craft. He then used that knowledge while auditioning for roles. He believes that any ethical questions surrounding privilege is not about whether or not someone has it, but rather about how they use it.

Babil, who made his film debut with Netflix’s Qala, said that he wanted to explore much more and did not want to limit himself. Also, he did not believe in making plans, as he believes that life hated plans.

So rather than making plans for himself, Babil wanted to enjoy the plan life had in store for him and his ultimate goal was his own internal evolution.