Actor Babil Khan has returned to Instagram after a now-viral video triggered a wave of reactions online. The video, which surfaced on Reddit on Sunday (April 4), showed the actor visibly emotional, speaking about feeling isolated in the film industry and expressing his views on Bollywood’s culture.
In the clip, Babil was heard saying,“Bollywood is so f****ed. Bollywood is so, so rude.”
He also mentioned several of his peers by name, stating:“What I mean to say is that, I just want you guys to know that there are people like Shanaya Kapoor, Ananya Pandey and Arjun Kapoor and Siddhant Chaturvedi and Raghav Juyal and Adarsh Gourav and even… Arijit Singh? There are so, so many more names.”
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Following the uproar, Babil briefly deactivated his Instagram account, only to return hours later. While he has not released a direct statement on his profile, he has been actively sharing Instagram Stories featuring the work of those colleagues he had named in the video—such as Siddhant Chaturvedi and Adarsh Gourav—suggesting goodwill despite the controversy.
To address the viral clip, Babil Khan’s family and team issued an official statement clarifying that the video was “widely misinterpreted.” The statement reads:“Over the past few years, Babil Khan has earned immense love and appreciation for his work, as well as for his openness about his mental health journey. Like anyone else, Babil is allowed to have difficult days – and this was one of them. We want to reassure all his well-wishers that he is safe and will be feeling better soon.”
It further clarified the context behind the names mentioned:“In the clip, Babil was sincerely acknowledging a few of his peers whom he believes are making meaningful contributions to the evolving landscape of Indian cinema. His mention of artists like Ananya Panday, Shanaya Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Raghav Juyal, Adarsh Gourav, Arjun Kapoor, and Arijit Singh came from a place of genuine admiration – for their authenticity, passion, and efforts to restore credibility and heart in the industry.”
The statement concluded with an appeal to the media and public:“We respectfully urge media publications and the public to consider the full context of his words rather than drawing conclusions from fragmented video clips.”
Babil Khan, the son of late legendary actor Irrfan Khan, made his acting debut with Netflix’s Qala in 2022. He has since appeared in projects like Friday Night Plan, Logout, and the web series The Railway Men.
