‘I’ve not seen Babil’s debut film yet’ says Tigmanshu Dhulia, one of Irrfan Khan’s closest friends
Tigmanshu Dhulia
The bond between Irrfan Khan and Tigmanshu Dhulia has endured. They had known each other since their days at the National School of Drama, long before any of them entered the film industry as professionals. Tigmanshu’s first film featured Irrfan, and the two went on to collaborate on further films together, including Paan Singh Tomar and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. However, Irrfan passed away after a long illness three years ago, and his son Babil Khan, who made his acting debut in Qala alongside co-star Tipti Dimri, is carrying on his father’s legacy.
While discussing Babil, director Tigmanshu Dhulia admitted that he had yet to watch his first film, Qala, which was released in December 2022. Dhulia comments, “I haven’t seen Babil’s first movie yet. I’ve been quite busy recently. After spending 45–46 days filming my next feature, I went home to work on my web series, Garmi, which will premiere soon. However, I will be seeing it very soon.
He added that he stays in regular contact with Irrfan’s family, including his wife Sutapa and son Babil. Their relationship is extremely close and intimate.
Irrfan once said that the ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ director Tigmanshu is his sole friend in the industry and that they have mutually impacted one other’s work in an interview. Irrfan has previously stated that if given the choice, he would always choose to reincarnate alongside Tigmanshu. Even in jest, Irrfan expressed his desire to purchase Tigmanshu and keep him at home permanently.
