Ibrahim Ali Khan admits entering Bollywood thinking ‘ho jaayega’, rushed into Nadaaniyan: ‘Could have been more mindful’
Updated on: Oct 26, 2025 06:26 am IST
Ibrahim Ali Khan has talked about learnings from the lukewarm reaction to his debut film Nadaaniyan in a new interview.
Actor Ibrahim Ali Khan has had a sobering first year in the film industry. After making his acting debut in Nadaaniyan in March, he starred in Sarzameen in July. Both films—direct-to-OTT releases—were critically panned. Ibrahim was criticised by reviewers for appearing ‘raw and unprepared’. Now, the actor has admitted that he rushed into his debut.
‘Could have been more mindful’
In an interview with Esquire India, Ibrahim clarified that while he did not take his acting career for granted, he did come into films thinking that he would make it. “I am not saying I took my chance for granted, but I stepped into the industry like, ‘Ho jaayega’. Of course, I was working very hard—like I’m still working hard on my speech issue. But in a way, I feel I must have rushed into that movie. I was 21 when I began shooting for it—others around me are doing it at 26, 27, 28—and I now think I could have been more mindful of the scale of what was going to happen,” he said.
Ibrahim debuted with Nadaaniyan, which released on Netflix in March. Directed by debutant Shauna Gautam, the film also featured Mahima Chaudhry, Suniel Shetty, Dia Mirza, and Jugal Hansraj. Having earned largely negative reviews, Nadaaniyan has a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of just 12%. Four months later, Ibrahim starred in Sarzameen alongside Kajol and Prithviraj Sukumaran. The Kayoze Irani film was also panned by critics.
The son of actors Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh and the grandson of Sharmila Tagore, Ibrahim has a large filmy pedigree. The actor said that he looks at that lineage for inspiration when he is crippled by self-doubt. He said, “I usually always have self-doubt. Whenever I feel unsure, all this (lineage) is a reminder of who’s at home. ‘You’re Saif Ali Khan’s kid. Bebo’s (stepmom Kareena Kapoor) in your family. You should be able to do it. You should be smashing it, man.’”
Ibrahim’s upcoming film
Ibrahim will be next seen in sports drama Diler, which will also star Sreeleela. The film, helmed by Kunal Deshmukh, is reportedly the story of a marathon runner. While no release date has been announced, it is expected to release sometime in 2026.
