BENGALURU: Babil Khan, who recently visited Mysuru for an acting workshop with theatre director and playwright Prasanna, was looking forward to it for a while. “I took a flight to Bengaluru and from there took a local train to Mysuru. I learnt my first few Kannada words too,” says Babil, adding, “Ondu bottle neer kodi.”
His family – his late father and actor Irrfan Khan and mother Sutapa Sikdar – often visited Prasanna’s humble abode. However, for Babil, it was his first experience. “It was magical. Baba always wanted me to go to Mysuru but I was never able to. It just happened at this point in my life. Suddenly doors opened for me to visit places that Baba wished for all of us to,” he says.
Giving a sneak-peek into why the family is fond of Prasanna’s method of acting, Babil says the acting guru is a ‘man of action’. “Prasanna sir’s name was part of a lot of family discussions in terms of the perspective of art and acting. But that is not the only reason he is one of the best acting teachers there. He has come up with something that is more enriching to you as a human being than just studying acting. That is what pulled me towards him. He does not talk, he just does,” he adds.
Being associated with his father could have fetched him any role, however, the 20-something-year-old chose Anvita Dutt Guptan’s Qala, where he does not play the titular role. “I don’t think I picked Qala, it picked me. I went for the audition and got the part. There was not much planning involved. That’s because I was never positioned as a star kid. There was no strategising involved behind my launch. They chose me because I matched the character and since I was very new, they were careful about how much characterisation they did with me. They chose me because I suited the role,” he says unwilling to disclose any details of his upcoming projects.
His father’s demise was not just emotionally heavy on him but it also suddenly put him under a spotlight, which was challenging, especially since he had always kept a low profile. “I am a free child. I have been brought up to run free. But suddenly, everything I did was put up for public scrutiny. I made a lot of mistakes. I feared that I would lose the child inside me and I would lose my freedom. When you’re passionate about something, you have to make sacrifices and dare to follow the path you have chosen,” he says.
Now, his equation with his mother has changed. “I was best friends with Baba but my mom was the one who shouted and screamed at us. Our relationship has been a journey, from a mother-child equation to one of a best friend. It’s beautiful and now we talk about everything. I also practice acting with her too,” he signs off with a smile.