Qala star Babil Khan reacts to being compared with father Irrfan Khan, says 'as long as I can...'

Late Irrfan Khan's son Babil Khan is set to make his Bollywood debut with the upcoming Netflix film Qala, headlined by Tripti Dimri. In the period musical drama, Babil plays an aspiring singer named Jagan who is discovered by a famous artist, Swastika Mukherjee, who plays Tripti's mother.

Babil shares that after Irrfan's death two years back, people started calling him 'the next Irrfan' as he said to Mid-Day.com, "Baba is who he is. I was a young child, who had lost his father. I was cracking under pressure, wondering who I am doing this for, because baba’s fans would call me the ‘next Irrfan'."

As he awaits the release of his first film Qala, Babil states that he is now more confident to deal with the expectations of being called 'the next Irrfan' as he continued, "Now when people call me the ‘next Irrfan’, I feel love. What matters is the evolution of the craft. As long as I can do that, I will be happy."

READ | Qala trailer: Tripti Dimri, Babil Khan's Netflix film portrays troubled relationship of a singer with her mother

Talking about Qala, apart from the three main leads, the film has a bunch of talented actors such as Amit Sial, Varun Grover, Abhishek Banerjee, and Swanand Kirkire among others. Qala is directed by the famous lyricist Anvitaa Dutt who made her directorial debut with the 2020 supernatural thriller Bulbbul in which Tripti Dimri played the titular role too.

Talking about his association with the director, Babil said to the portal, "Anvitaa has a special skill — she makes you feel like you can tell her anything. When I would talk to her about baba, I would often say something painful, and immediately cloak it with laughter. She would ask, ‘Why are you laughing?’ When I’d ask her what she meant, she’d say, ‘You are coping with pain’. Having that kind of support helps you become comfortable in your skin. It gave me the confidence to be who I am."