Kay Kay Menon says he found some ‘magic’ in Babil that he also saw in Irrfan Khan: ‘Hope Babil preserves it for longest of time’

On the show, Kay Kay Menon will be seen working with Babil, who made his screen debut with the streamer’s acclaimed Qala. It is also life coming full circle for Kay Kay, as he had shared a close bond with Irrfan Khan.

“I was delighted to see him,” Menon tells Indianexpress.com as he recalls day one of collaborating with Babil. “Of course, he is Irrfan’s son, but that’s a different thing. I was delighted to see that he has an individuality about himself, which leads to magic. What spurs that magic, he doesn’t know. We don’t know, but he should preserve it. That’s all that I can say,” the actor says.

The actor remembers how even Irrfan had similar magic in him. Menon says him and Irrfan, who passed away in 2020, would often have long conversations about the craft of acting.

“I have acted with him, so I know the magic. You can’t pinpoint it as such. Not to analayse it too much but preserve it. That’s something which I also found in Irrfan. We would have long chats about this (acting), about how to go beyond design. To reach a level where the design isn’t governing you, to be truthfully there in the moment. So we used to discuss about these things.

“Now, when I see little sparks of that happening, I just hope that for the longest of time, as much as possible, Babil preserves it without analysing it too much.”

Kay Kay Menon says he was especially blown away by Babil in key sequences from the series which involve him and his on-screen mother. “I was quite stunned the way it came. I am sure he didn’t design it, because I can make out a design immoderately though my experience. But that came out beautifully as a moment of truth, which I think should be preserved,” he adds.

The Railway Men is a tribute to the railway workers at Bhopal station who are the unsung heroes of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, the world’s biggest man-made industrial disaster. The show is directed by Shiv Rawail.

The show marks the streaming debut of Yash Raj Films. Also starring R Madhavan, Divyenndu Sharma and featuring guest apperances like Juhi Chawla and Mandira Bedi, The Railway Men will stream on Netflix from November 18.