Babil Khan on Irrfan Khan: “If I could bring him back , I wouldn’t be an actor” - Exclusive

Babil Khan, the son of the late legendary actor Irrfan Khan, continues to win hearts with his honesty, vulnerability, and depth—qualities reminiscent of his father. In a recent interview with ETimes, Babil opened up about his relationship with Irrfan, the weight of his legacy, and his own journey in carving out a distinct identity in the world of cinema.

In one of his most moving statements, Babil said, “If I could bring him back, I don’t think I’d be an actor. I’d just spend time with him all the time.”
Reflecting on what advice he would give his younger self, he added with a bittersweet chuckle, “Do not play FIFA. Go do some scenes with Baba., I should have done that.” It’s a line that encapsulates both youthful innocence and the depth of longing—reminding of how fleeting moments can feel in hindsight.

But Babil isn’t just living in the shadow of his father's greatness—he’s actively exploring what it means to honor that legacy while also becoming his own person. “I don’t think that there’s a separation in that. I think that’s the legacy. The legacy is for me to be the best version of myself, the kindest version of myself, and provide people something that they can feel something of, be, be, feel alive about,” he said.
He further emphasized, “It’s not about acting or film. I can do it any way I want. But if I’m not myself, if I try to be him, the legacy is destroyed.”
In the same interview he also shared that thanks to his father he got an opportunity to meet Tom Hanks while they were working together on Ron Howard’s Inferno. When asked what he gained from that experience, his answer was layered with maturity beyond his years. “I gained that lightness of being will only come with experience,” he said. “You can’t rush experience or greatness. You can’t rush it at all.”