Key Points

On Sunday, Harshvardhan took to the Stories section of his Instagram, and shared a note in which he addressed Babil, and his now deleted video.

Harshvardhan praised “God level genetics in acting”, and advised the younger actor to be mindful and carry on his father’s legacy.

He said that being an outsider, he knows that Bollywood parties can sometimes get on an artist’s nerves but the best case scenario is to not let it affect you.

He wrote, “Dear Babil Khan, you’re blessed with God level genetics in acting, we need you to carry on the legacy! Please just give your best to the craft, and after that 'stay away from events and after parties.' so as to avoid interaction with irritants”.

He further mentioned, “I am not from a film family, I have learnt that people won't treat you badly if you dont allow them. You need to 'stand your ground’. Also pls 'stay away from alcohol and any such stuff', because to stand tall you will need strength, pls take care (sic)”.

Earlier, Babil’s team and his family issued a statement thereby tendering a clarification on his part. While the actor named actors like Ananya Panday, Shanaya Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Raghav Juyal, Adarsh Gourav, Arjun Kapoor, his team has said that he was merely appreciating the good work put up by these actors in the Hindi film industry which seems to be bleeding commercially, of late.

The statement shared by the actor’s team read, “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. That said, a video of Babil has been widely misinterpreted and taken out of context”.

It further read, “In the clip, Babil was sincerely acknowledging a few of his peers whom he believes are making meaningful contributions to the evolving landscape of Indian cinema. 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. We respectfully urge media publications and the public to consider the full context of his words rather than drawing conclusions from fragmented video clips”.

The video concerned Babil’s fans and netizens who said that the actor is going through a difficult time, and is not in the right frame of mind. After he shared the video of himself breaking down in front of the camera, Babil went on to delete his Instagram profile.

- IANS