‘Conventions seize growth’: Babil Khan, Tripti Dimri talk new Netflix film 'Qala'

In an otherwise conventional film industry, Babil Khan and Tripti Dimri are here to break the predictable moulds of a “star” trajectory in a film industry often scrutinised for sticking to the stereotypes, rather than breaking them. Enabled by filmmaker Anvita Dutt of Bulbbul fame — the 2020 supernatural thriller that broke away from the shackles of predictability, tackling grave subject matter with finesse — the young actors were only too glad to be part of such a dynamic set, along with a critically-acclaimed ensemble cast, starring Swastika Mukherjee and Amit Sial.

In a conversation with City Times, Babil Khan, son of late Irrfan Khan, talks about the legacy his father has left behind, the comparisons that await him at the doorsteps of this debut and why he plans to have no plans for his career, alongside an unfiltered Tripti Dimri, who reveals the reason behind her two-year-long hiatus after the ravishing success of Bulbbul.

Edited excerpts from an interview:

Firstly, congratulations to Babil on his long-awaited debut. How do you feel at this very moment, knowing it’s finally happening?

Babil Khan: I'm very excited about the fact that it’s my first film and the journey has officially begun. But what ends up happening in India when you're the son of somebody who’s seen fame is that it becomes all about you. And the words ‘debut’ and ‘launch’ do that very effectively. These words make it about you rather than the story and the film and I have a huge problem with that. I have great anxiety about that and always end up feeling guilty. That aspect of it troubles me. But other than that, it’s all very exciting.

Although, it can just be a term to mark that special moment, the beginning of something new, perhaps a new chapter in your life… Tripti, can you relate to Babil’s interpretation of the word ‘debut’?

Tripti Dimri: No, I think I was just very, very excited when I was making my debut. I look at it as a good thing… It only happens once in your life. After your first film, you're not a newcomer anymore. Then you just become someone who's done one film, and then you're doing another one. But the debut only happens once in a lifetime.

We can’t do away with not addressing the fact that your father has been one of the greatest and most-celebrated actors of his time. Are you anticipating comparisons? How do you intend to deal with them?

Babil Khan: I don't know how I'm going to deal with it. I strongly believe that you cannot fully prepare for something that is going to happen. You can build yourself emotionally, and you can be a stronger person, but you cannot prepare for that exact situation because it will never play out the way you think. And I have no disillusion that the comparisons wouldn’t happen, and expectations and pressures would reduce. But I'll be very honest with you, I love being compared to my father. I’m his son. We were so close, we were the bestest friends in the world. So, for me, when people see me, hug me and say, ‘You remind me of your father’, it brings me great joy. If in any way through me, I can keep him alive, that would be so special for me. And I’m grateful for that. So, there are no negative connotations to this for me.

Tripti, we saw you last on our Netflix screens for Bulbbul back in 2020, we’re now nearing the end of 2022. Why have you made us wait for this long?

Tripti Dimri: Yeah, it’s been quite a long wait. But it wasn't me, it was the pandemic. Post Bulbbul, I wanted to take my time because once you play a role like that, you don't immediately want to jump into something else. I'm someone who likes to take my time, I can’t say yes to something that I don't believe in. A lot of films were offered to me but for me, it’s quality over quantity. But there have been other films I was shooting for. Next year, I'll have many more releases, fingers crossed.

Babil, did it matter to you at all that the film would be out on OTT? Conventionally, we’ve seen that newcomers with a lineage from the film industry usually seem to go after the big Bollywood launch on the silver screens.

Babil Khan: Conventions are boring. I think conventions seize growth. If you're just following the patterns and what everybody else is doing, then how are you growing? And how are you making the world evolve around you? So, it was not a concern at all. I realised after I had shot the film and everybody started pointing it out that it was on OTT. But that’s when it also hit me that through platforms like Netflix, you can come out in around 200 countries at the same time. Before Netflix, you couldn't even think of the possibility that the work you do will be internationally distributed. So as artistes, it’s incredible that we start doing international work even if it’s just the start of our careers.

Tripti is a case in point for that. Even though you made your acting debut in 2017, the film that changed the trajectory of your career was the Netflix film Bulbbul. What were some of the benefits you experienced first-hand from working in OTT?

Tripti Dimri: I think there was a huge shift after Bulbbul. Post Laila Majnu, I remember not having any work for two years, I didn’t get many offers. I initially thought that after that film, I wouldn't ever have to give any auditions and I'd be sorted since it was a theatrical release. But that was not the case, the film was not seen by a lot of people. Thanks to OTT, people have access to the film even now and are getting to discover it even today. But for two years after that film was released, I had nothing to do until I finally auditioned for Bulbbul. At that time as well, people said ‘Why are you doing an OTT film?’ as I was fairly new. It was really early on, I think Bulbbul was part of the first eight films that Netflix India was working towards at the time. But the story just got stuck in my head. Whether it was on the big screen on television, it didn’t matter. I think both platforms have their own merits. And I would want to do both as an actor. Why not? I remember, initially, when I’d go for auditions, I’d meet different people, and everyone used to be low and depressed. There was no work for anyone. But now when I meet the same people, everyone has something to do, and OTT has played a huge role in that.

Speaking about your latest musical-thriller Qala, let’s talk about the ‘qala’ of acting. As for any skilled craft, there’s a lot of 'riyaz' or training that goes in but with the skill of acting, this aspect is seldom talked about. What is the 'riyaz' you put into your 'qala'?

Tripti Dimri: When I did my first acting workshop, I knew this was something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. After that, whenever I’d have time, I’d go to a workshop. Our director Anvita [Dutt] is also someone who believes in doing workshops and hardcore prep before getting into the film. Even for Bulbbul or Qala, we spent a lot of time chalking out the characters, building their world, and their childhood memories. When that happens, you get to see your characters closely, to see the world through their eyes. It's a beautiful process. It should be mandatory for actors to get into workshops.

Watch the trailer below:

Babil Khan: There's a story about how I got hooked on acting. In the eighth grade, I was part of a play called The Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare, where I went on stage and forgot all my lines. But I remember that before I had forgotten all my lines, the play was going very well but in the ‘comedy’ of errors, the audience wasn't laughing. We had no idea what was going wrong. Then, at one point I forgot all my lines and started improvising in Hindi… in a Shakespearean play. The audience started laughing. And I realised that it was when I forgot myself, forgot who I was, forgot the lines and simply surrendered to the moment. Something else created through me. And I got a response from the collective consciousness sitting in front of me. That moment was just absolute magic for me, there was great mystery in that moment. From that day, I knew that this mystery was something I wanted to explore all my life. But I had always been denying that desire within me because of who my father was. The shadow. the legacy, it was too much pressure. But one day, I finally admitted to my father that I wanted to act. His reaction was like, ‘You're so sc**wed because being an actor is the WORST’ (laughs). But I had admitted to him too late, he passed away soon after that. And when he passed away, I realised how short life is and how temporary everything is. So, I didn’t really have a reason to be scared. Everybody's going to die one day, to be scared and not do something you really want to do, is a great sin.

As far as the 'riyaz' goes, the eyes of an actor are the most important. Especially watching Baba, it was a 24-hour thing… you're always working, whether it’s your meditation or your breathing. What I also greatly admired in him and wish to imbibe is the skill to be able to sit and watch yourself and your movements. Mostly, we’re unaware of our own actions, or why we’re doing certain things. So, the most important 'riyaz' you can do as an actor is to dig deeper and to just reflect upon yourself.

Son defines his late father’s legacy, in the movies and beyond…

Babil Khan: I do not feel like his legacy is limited to being an actor. I think that his greatest work was in humanity. And his greatest work was in the effort of growing and evolving as a human being. I think that is his legacy. I don't think his legacy is about being a great actor. If I am working on myself as a human being, then inevitably, I will become better as an actor because of course, that is my job and I will be working on the craft, but the greatness will only come if I'm working on myself as a human being and if I'm evolving through my consciousness, I think that is what his legacy really is.

Babil is in for a long run

He’s in it for the long haul, says his co-actor Tripti. “He’s such an impromptu actor. I remember being so nervous on my first film set, I could barely stand. I was shivering half the time. But he was so confident, taking in directions really well and fast. He's a very intelligent actor and will go a long way. Babil is a 'lambi race ka ghoda' (laughs)."

Qala is now streaming on Netflix

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