Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan made his acting debut in the Netflix original film, Nadaaniyan. The actor, along with his co-star Khushi Kapoor, received major backlash for their poor performances in the movie.
Amid the scathing criticism, filmmaker Vikram Bhatt came out to defend the young actors.
In conversation with Galatta India, Vikram Bhatt said, “I am not able to understand the trolling that the film is facing on social media as I like both the lead actors—Khushi and Ibrahim. I liked Ibrahim, it’s a different matter whether the film is good or not. But these days, there is an argument about nepotism, and to win that argument, you have to be superb, but that’s not fair for newcomers.”
In Ibrahim Ali Khan’s defence, Vikram Bhatt said, “It’s his first film. Who does superb in their first film? He has a presence in front of the camera, you can tell that he knows acting. So, I am sad about this whole thing.”
He added, “I didn’t find any problem in his acting. The film wasn’t the type that I would watch, but I am also not the target audience for this film. It’s for Gen Z and the teenagers. As a director, I found Ibrahim and Khushi good.”
Vikram Bhatt also addressed the comparisons between Ibrahim and his father and actor Saif Ali Khan.
He said, “That will happen. Ibrahim also looks like Saif, so how will you not compare? But he proves himself even by that comparison. I think he is at par with Saif and way better than Saif’s performance in his debut films. I can give you in writing that Ibrahim will be a big star.”
To those unaware, Saif Ali Khan had made his Bollywood debut with Yash Chopra’s Parampara in 1993. The film had an ensemble cast featuring Sunil Dutt, Vinod Khanna, Aamir Khan, Neelam Kothari, Raveena Tandon, Ashwini Bhave, Ramya Krishna, and Anupam Kher. It marked the big Bollywood debut of both Saif Ali Khan and Ramya Krishna.
Nadaaniyan was released on Netflix, on March 7, 2025. Directed by Shauna Gautam, the film is backed by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment.
