Prateik Babbar, son of the late legendary actress Smita Patil, has spoken candidly about his past struggles, especially those involving addiction and deep emotional turmoil. In a recent interview, Prateik revealed a painful truth—there was a time in his life when he harbored resentment toward both his parents, Smita Patil and actor Raj Babbar. Smita tragically passed away while giving birth to him, and Prateik was raised by his maternal grandparents. His relationship with his father was absent in his formative years, and they only reconnected much later.
In his early acting days, Prateik often found himself being compared to his celebrated mother, but it didn’t affect him then—because he hadn’t yet come to terms with being her child. “I was still figuring out who I was,” he confessed, reflecting on his internal identity conflict.
Over time, he has come to accept and even take pride in being Smita Patil’s son, but he admits it was a difficult journey. Speaking to Bollywood Bubble, he disclosed, “At one point, I felt anger toward both my parents. Growing up without them, everything felt distant, unfamiliar. People would show me sympathy, offer love out of pity—it didn’t feel real. That fake affection made me distance myself further. I didn’t want any link to them. When others compared me to my mother, I would shrug it off, tell myself it doesn’t matter. I truly didn’t care.”
He went on to share that not knowing his mother made it hard to feel any emotional attachment. “There was this constant inner conflict—‘Do I even love them? Do I want to be their child?’ I felt indifferent. And honestly, when you're navigating trauma, rebellion easily slips into hatred. It's a fine line.”
Discussing his father, Raj Babbar, Prateik admitted they’ve tried to repair their bond. However, the connection has remained formal and distant. “We’ve made peace, sure, but I could never have those deep, heart-to-heart conversations with him. That wasn’t the kind of relationship we had—and that’s just how it is.”
In a telling sign of this complex bond, Prateik recently got married but chose not to invite his father to the ceremony.
In his early acting days, Prateik often found himself being compared to his celebrated mother, but it didn’t affect him then—because he hadn’t yet come to terms with being her child. “I was still figuring out who I was,” he confessed, reflecting on his internal identity conflict.
Over time, he has come to accept and even take pride in being Smita Patil’s son, but he admits it was a difficult journey. Speaking to Bollywood Bubble, he disclosed, “At one point, I felt anger toward both my parents. Growing up without them, everything felt distant, unfamiliar. People would show me sympathy, offer love out of pity—it didn’t feel real. That fake affection made me distance myself further. I didn’t want any link to them. When others compared me to my mother, I would shrug it off, tell myself it doesn’t matter. I truly didn’t care.”
He went on to share that not knowing his mother made it hard to feel any emotional attachment. “There was this constant inner conflict—‘Do I even love them? Do I want to be their child?’ I felt indifferent. And honestly, when you're navigating trauma, rebellion easily slips into hatred. It's a fine line.”
Discussing his father, Raj Babbar, Prateik admitted they’ve tried to repair their bond. However, the connection has remained formal and distant. “We’ve made peace, sure, but I could never have those deep, heart-to-heart conversations with him. That wasn’t the kind of relationship we had—and that’s just how it is.”
In a telling sign of this complex bond, Prateik recently got married but chose not to invite his father to the ceremony.
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