MC EXCLUSIVE Babil Khan on online trolling: 'I got over it the first time, but later they dragged my father, which was really traumatic'

Babil Khan

Bollywood's young actor Babil Khan, who is quietly creating his name in the industry, talked about navigating the brutal world of internet trolls.

In an exclusive conversation with Money Control recently, Babil, known for his honesty and the deeply contemplative heritage of his late father, the famous Irrfan Khan, stated that he does get hurt by the immense trolling, but now he has gotten used to living with it.

During the course of the interview, we asked Babil about how it was to navigate through this trolling and how does he handle it? He says it is better to face it and not run away.

Babil was in New Delhi for the promotion of recently released film Logout on Zee5.

Babil stated that in the beginning, he used to read comments online. The first time he was trolled was following an interview he gave. "I was there. It impacted me at the moment, but because the trolling was directed at me, I was able to recover quickly," he stated.

He said that being able to not take himself too seriously helped him get through it. "That's okay. You're not affected as much when it's on you."

However, the story changed dramatically the next time he found himself in the focus of online negativity—this time, trolls were targeting his late father.

"That was a far deeper agony. "That was something I didn't know how to get over," Babil said, his voice expressing the emotional toll it had on him. "It was a little tough to get over."

Rather than ignoring it, Babil said he pushed for accepting it as a necessary step towards true healing. "The only way to get over it is to feel it and not attempt to avoid it. Do not say, 'I'm not impacted by anything.' You have to be like, "Yes, I am affected by this." "Let's investigate why."

In an era when online abuse may feel unrelenting, Babil says he makes an effort to not go away but face it, as this is the harsh reality.

Babil also spoke about the comparisons with his talented father, late Irrfan Khan. Babil said he loves being compared to him and that he misses his father a lot.

"We had a very close relationship and I feel happy being compared to him. Main unke comparison se ladne lagoon then I will have to reflect upon why I want to do that? I like being compared to him. I miss him so much," said Babil.

Anany Panday handled trolling like a warrior 

He was all praise for fellow actor Ananya Panday, who has been subject to online trolling in the past.

Babil said he has immense respect for Ananya and said: "I'm in admiration of the journey she's made. It's insane what she is. It's how she's come. She has gone through that like a warrior, worked on her craft. Hum toh itni si trolling se hi pareshan ho jate hain."

Logout directed by Amit Golani released on April 18. It is currently streaming on Zee5.