Bollywood actor Babil Khan’s family and team have issued a statement after a video of the actor crying went viral on social media.
Babil had earlier posted the video, in which he appears to be emotionally distressed, on Instagram, where he referred to Bollywood as ‘fake’. In the same video, he mentioned actors like Ananya Panday, Shanaya Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Raghav Juyal, Adarsh Gourav, Arjun Kapoor, and singer Arijit Singh.
The statement released on Sunday has clarified his stance, acknowledging that the actor is going through ‘difficult days,’ while reassuring fans that he is ‘safe and will be feeling better soon.’
The video has been "widely misinterpreted and taken out of context", the actor's team said.
In the official statement, which was also posted on Instagram by his mother-producer Sutapa Sikdar, his team further said the actor -- who has been vocal about his mental health struggles -- was having a difficult day.
"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. 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," Babil's team said in the statement.
In a series of purported video clips, Babil was seen crying inconsolably and calling Bollywood "the fakest place". According to reports, the videos were posted on the "Qala" actor's now deactivated Instagram account.
Also read: Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam's Instagram accounts blocked in India
Those clips, however, are still doing the rounds on Reddit, a social news aggregation and forum social media platform.
In the statement, Babil's team also urged media publications and the public to consider "the full context of his words rather than drawing conclusions from fragmented video clips".
Earlier this week, Babil remembered his father, actor Irrfan Khan on his fifth death anniversary in an emotional social media post.
"With you, without you. Life goes on... With me, without me. Soon I’ll be there. With you, not without you. And we will run together, and fly, Drink from waterfalls, pink not blue. I will hug you so tight, and I will cry, Then we’ll laugh, just like we used to. I miss you," he wrote on April 30.
The actor was most recently seen in "Log Out", a ZEE5 cyber thriller that explores the dark side of social media fame.
Follow us
