Babil, the son of late actor Irrfan, describes why he does not want to use his privileges to find work in the film industry.
There was no big studio behind the launch of late actor Irrfan Khan’s son Babil Khan, nor did he choose the protagonist role in his first film, ‘Qala.’ That’s because he’s trying to make his way in the industry without his benefits.
“I’m not trying to answer any questions about privilege. Why should I hide the fact that I have had privilege in my life? Instead, in exercising that privilege, I try to adhere to my moral compass and the values of my upbringing,” Babil says.
The 24-year-old continues, “To use privilege as a short cut to success is not our way, but to utilize privilege to grow and evolve is essential. This idea comes from the understanding that life provides you with privilege as an opportunity, and how you use that opportunity is a test of your character. For example, instead of using my privilege to get work, I use Baba’s connections by being around and learning from people who are immersed in and masters of the craft; then I apply what I’ve learned in those experiences in my auditions and work. I don’t think the ethical questions about privilege are whether you have it or not, but rather how you use it.”
He may have received positive feedback for his performance in the web film Qala, but he is not sitting around making plans for himself. Instead, he prefers to let life take its own path.
“I am an explorer who wishes to explore. What I want today is probably not the same as what I want tomorrow, so why should I burden myself and limit my experience with something as unreliable as a plan? One thing I’ve learned about life is that it despises plans, or at least the ones we make for ourselves, possibly because it has already made a plan for you and will kick your self-made plan in the face whenever it wants,” he says.
Babil asserts that his way is to dream big and work tirelessly on the craft that fuels his dreams, and life will take care of the rest, particularly the planning. “I am not here to plan for myself, I am here to enjoy the experience of life’s plan for me. “There is no plan, only an eventual goal of internal evolution, and that’s it,” he says, adding that the one thing he is still not ready for is living life openly.
