Jacket and shirt by Rajesh Pratap Singh.
When he was 12, Babil Khan performed William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors on his school's annual day. In the middle of an important scene, Babil totally blanked out. As panic set in, he broke into Hindi and began improvising. The crowd's reaction went from muted awkwardness to cheerful laughter. As the packed auditorium gave his act a standing ovation, the thrilled 12-year-old scanned the room for a sight of his father. Maybe he had made it this time—after missing several important school events. Maybe he decided to surprise him. Nope.
As he quietly reconciled with this disappointment, several hundred kilometres away from Mumbai, Irrfan Khan was busy shooting a movie, unaware of the influence his craft had already caused at home. While Babil was elated that his mother, Sutapa Sikdar, was by his side-as she always was-he would nurse the wound of his father's absence for a long time.
Kimono by Yavi. Trousers by Naushad Ali. Mules by Christian Louboutin.
When I meet the now 23-year-old at his Oshiwara home, he talks about this episode vividly. It's a quiet Sunday afternoon and his sprawling house, where I used to meet Irrfan, has a calming aura. Unlike his father, who spoke with restraint, Babil is animated and extroverted, meticulously arranging his thoughts into words so no thread is left unaddressed. He ponders questions, shifts his sitting positions, and answers perceptively.
Denne historien er fra April 2022-utgaven av GQ India.
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Denne historien er fra April 2022-utgaven av GQ India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
In Haider We Hope
The role of a fashion designer is one usually forged in chaos and fired down by “creative differences”. But on the eve of a new Tom Ford directorship, Haider Ackermann has never felt more free.
VIVA VARUN
Varun Dhawan on balancing fatherhood and film shoots, and the pressure of making the right choices.
PRATIK GANDHI'S QUIET EUPHORIA
The actor―who delivered a knockout performance in Madgaon Expresson the high of a hit and the pressure of sustaining success.
THE COMEBACK KID
Buoyed by his performance in Singham Returns, Arjun Kapoor doubles down on creativity.
SCRIPTING STARDOM
Vicky Kaushal on the thrill and terror of stepping onto a Sanjay Leela Bhansali set, charting an unconventional career, and making sense of the money game.
A TRYST WITH STARDOM
Triptii Dimri segued from her left-field roots straight to the animal park. The gamble has paid off.
WALKING A TIGHTROPE
Following the monster success of Stree 2, Rajkummar Rao opens up about navigating artistic fulfilment and box-office glory.
THE MAHARAJA OF MEHRAULI
It's been an action-packed year for Tarun Tahiliani, the emperor of Indian couture.
LONE WARRIOR
Kartik Aaryan on why, in an industry that only watches out for its own, he has to blow his own trumpet.
HITS AND HEARTBREAKS
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali talks about redeeming himself with the extraordinary Chamkila, dealing with star-studded setbacks, and why we've forgotten to make love stories.
