Remembering Irrfan Khan: When Babil said if he wasn’t the actor’s son, ‘nobody would have cared about my debut’

In March 2018, actor Irrfan Khan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer. He sought treatment in the UK for a year and returned to India in February 2019. The actor got admitted to a hospital on 28 April 2020, and got treated for colon infection caused by the disease. The 53-year-old actor died a day later. (Photo: Babil Khan/Instagram)

The news of the actor's demise came as a shock for his fans and family. He is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and two sons, Babil Khan and Ayaan Khan. (Photo: Babil Khan/Instagram)

Irrfan Khan’s son Babil Khan made his debut with the Netflix film Qala. (Photo: Babil Khan/Instagram)

In an interview, before the film's launch, this star kid shared his disapproval of the term ‘debut’. (Photo: Babil Khan/Instagram)

Babil Khan shared his thoughts ahead of the film’s release and said if he was not Irrfan Khan’s son, nobody would have cared about his debut. (Photo: Babil Khan/Instagram)

"If I was not Irrfan Khan’s son, nobody would have cared about my debut. I would have been just an actor trying to get into films, auditioning, and maybe getting a part. Getting recognised through your work is so much greater than inheriting recognition. I feel like the word ‘debut’, and ‘launch’, these things always make the individual greater than the story and the film," shared Babil Khan with Film Companion. (Photo: Babil Khan/Instagram)

Babil Khan time and again shared old photos with his dad. (Photo: Babil Khan/Instagram)

"He was the king and I was his jester. I wish he could have seen that I’ve grown into his prince. I wish he could see what he wished to see, but I was too late," shared Babil Khan. (Photo: Babil Khan/Instagram)