Mumbai: Actor Babil Khan has opened up about facing online trolling for being himself, saying that the criticism no longer affects him as much as it once did.
He described himself as an emotional person but emphasised that being sensitive does not make him weak.
During a recent conversation with Rachit Singh, Babil reflected on dealing with online criticism, revealing that six years into the industry, he has learnt to detach himself from negativity and move forward.
In 2024, Babil faced backlash after a video of him repeatedly apologising to a woman for accidentally photobombing her at an event went viral. Some social media users labelled him ‘fake’ and ‘pretentious’.
Addressing the incident, Babil said his reaction to having “stolen” someone’s moment on the red carpet was natural.
He admitted that his response was also influenced by self-doubt, as he was aware that people might perceive his actions as overacting simply by watching the video.
The actor faced further online criticism in May 2025 after a video of him breaking down while talking about Bollywood went viral.
His team later clarified that his remarks had been taken out of context and that Babil was having a difficult day.
Reflecting on his six-year journey in the film industry, Babil said he has become more comfortable with who he is and no longer feels the need to justify himself to his critics.
He added, “I will be myself. I have faced a lot for being myself, but finally I don’t care. It still hurts, but that power of hurt is very little. I still wear my heart on my sleeves. I can just understand my relationship with the hurt, have a detachment from the experience, and move forward.”
Babil also spoke about how his emotional side is often mistaken for weakness.
He said people tend to assume that he lacks the strength to face difficult situations because he is emotional, but stressed that this is not the case.
Babil began his career as a camera assistant on his father Irrfan Khan’s film Qarib Qarib Singlle before making his acting debut with Qala in 2022, alongside Triptii Dimri and Swastika Mukherjee.
He subsequently earned praise for his performance in the 2023 series The Railway Men and also featured in the coming-of-age comedy Friday Night Plan that year.
In 2025, he appeared in the film Logout, after which he took a break from the spotlight and social media.
He returned to Instagram in October 2025 and resumed work on an upcoming project in May 2026.
The actor has confirmed that he is working on a series, although details remain under wraps.
He is also reportedly set to make his South Indian cinema debut in a film directed by Babu Janardhanan, but is yet to confirm the development.
