Clarification issued after Babil Khan’s meltdown video

The statement says Babil’s admiration for peers was misunderstood.

The family and team of actor Babil Khan, son of the late Bollywood icon Irrfan Khan, released a statement on Sunday clarifying a now-deleted Instagram video that showed the young actor in distress and triggered widespread concern among fans.

The video, originally posted as an Instagram story, featured a visibly emotional Babil speaking about the pressures of being part of the Hindi film industry. In the footage, he named several actors, including Ananya Panday, Shanaya Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Arjun Kapoor, Adarsh Gourav, Raghav Juyal, and singer Arijit Singh.

He referred to Bollywood as “the most fakest, fakest, fakest industry.”

In the now-deleted video, Babil Khan said, “What I mean to say is that I just want you guys to know that there are people like Shanaya Kapoor, Ananya Panday, Arjun Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Raghav Juyal, Adarsh Gourav, and Arijit Singh. There are so many more names. Bollywood is so f*****. Bollywood is so screwed.

Soon after the video gained traction on social media, Babil’s Instagram account was deactivated. Users attempting to access it were met with a message stating the profile had been removed. Clips from the video were widely circulated on platforms such as Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), prompting an outpouring of concern from fans and fellow artists.

In response, his family and team issued a public statement:

“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.”

The statement also addressed media coverage of the incident, asserting that the clip had been “widely misinterpreted and taken out of context.” It clarified that Babil had been sincerely acknowledging the contributions of fellow artists, not criticising them.

“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 urged media outlets and the public to view the matter with empathy:

“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, who made his acting debut in the critically acclaimed film Qala, has spoken openly about mental health and the emotional toll of losing his father. On the recent anniversary of Irrfan Khan’s passing, he posted a heartfelt message that read in part, “With you, without you. Life goes on… I will hug you so tight, and I will cry. Then we’ll laugh, just like we used to.”