Actor Babil Khan recently made a mark with his latest ZEE5 release, Logout and has been earning rave reviews for the same. In an exclusive conversation with IWMBuzz, Babil and the director of the film, Amit Golani went on to talk about an array of things that ranged from designing cyber thrillers to learning on the job, trolling and much more.
Q: Amit, as a maker known for screen thrillers, this project feels different — it’s not entirely a screen thriller. How did you approach the design of the film, especially in terms of what’s happening in real-time versus what’s added during editing? How much of it was pre-planned versus improvised?
Amit: We were very clear from the writing stage itself that this isn’t a full-on screen thriller. It’s not just about social media — it’s about the device. The soul of the film actually drew reference from Misery, where an obsessed fan takes control of a celebrity. That was the essence we were working with.
We had everything locked in at the script level. The scriptwriting team) did a brilliant job of detailing out every single text — when it comes, how fast it appears, everything. So yes, a lot of it was designed from the start rather than being created in the edit. Even the actors had the visuals in mind because the script included them. Our voice actor was also fantastic, so the coordination between everyone was very smooth.
Babil, would you like to add to that?
Yeah, so my earlier film was very improvisation-heavy. But this one was the complete opposite. Here, I had to deliver my lines at the exact right time. If I missed the timing even slightly, the entire pace of the film would be thrown off.
For me, it was like acting school. My previous work was all about instinct — this was about impulse control, discipline, and timing. This film really taught me that.
Q: Babil, your social media presence is quite fascinating. You’re not constantly posting, yet there’s this consistent perception of being “out there.” How much do you try to combat that perception personally? Not in terms of trolling, which you’ve spoken about before, but more about how overpowering or consuming it can become mentally — especially given that it stems from your personal life. Are you still conscious of it today?
Babil: Yes, absolutely. All my life, I’ve felt it. Even now, when I want to post something — even if I’m scared — I’ll still post it. I think it’s important to acknowledge that fear. I won’t avoid doing something because I’m scared, but I need to be aware that I am scared.
You see, we often label emotions like fear and anxiety as negative, but they’re just emotions. We’re the ones giving them that negative tag. So I don’t try to combat these feelings at all. I simply try to be conscious of them. Like, “Okay, I’m terrified right now because I’m putting myself out there,” but that fear won’t stop me. I’ll still go ahead and do it.
Q: Do you think your lineage — the family name and background — contributes to the way your social media presence is perceived, even though you’ve now been working on your own for a while?
Babil: I think Baba took the “Khan” out of his name long ago, so that lineage kind of went with it. But yes, it’s always going to be a part of the conversation in some way or another.
Watch the full interview below-
Interviewed by Kunal Kothari
