Smita Patil's 30th death anniversary coincides with her actor-son Prateik Babbar's year-long sobriety. The actor who has been alcohol and drugs-free for the last 11 months, believes he's resurrected himself. “The last five years were the worst years of my life. I took everything for granted. I was neither doing well professionally, nor was I satisfied emotionally. Then, one day, a switch inside me flipped and I gave it all up. I don't think I could have done it without my mom, whom I think about the moment I wake up in the morning, till I go to bed at night. Even in my dreams, I am fighting with her, hating her, loving her and wanting to make her proud,“ Prateik confides, adding that his family, especially his grandmother, Vidyatai Patil, who raised him, has been extremely supportive of his decisions.

Next up, Prateik intends to kick the butt in January. “I've tried to give up smoking and have failed repeatedly. But it's my New Year resolution now,“ he says, adding that being sober has also helped him build a positive, disciplined lifestyle ­ he hits the gym twice a day, eats healthy and follows an early-to-bed sleeping pattern.

Prateik had made his acting debut in the Aamir Khan production, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, alongside Imran Khan and Genelia D'Souza. His portrayal of the brother had won him praise as well as awards. He followed it up with an intense performance in Kiran Rao's Dhobi Ghat, which opened to positive reviews at film festivals. However, despite featuring in two big films next, Dum Maaro Dum and Aarakshan, his career failed to take off. The failure of Ekk Deewana Tha and Issaq, which didn't perform well at the box office, and Prateik couldn't keep up with his contemporaries.

But he's back in the game again, starting over with a commercial with cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He promises that he's more focused this time. “For the last six months I've been performing theatre. I play a homosexual cricketer in Six, which is the Indian adaptation of LB Hamilton's A Midnight Clear. It follows two gay men in a high-voltage emotional-drama,“ Prateik explains, adding that owing to the popularity of the play amongst the LGBTQ community as well as the full houses during the six-month-long run, it will be back in January. Prod him on why he chose a controversial character instead of a mainstream gig and Prateik explains that he needed to let loose, let go of all his inhibitions. “I'm just being selfish here. Being on stage makes me feel like I've arrived. But I will never be satisfied as an actor - I want to do more, act more, learn more. I want to be a seasoned actor because this is what I love doing. The good thing is, looking ahead, I can only get better at what I'm passionate about,“ he signs off with a smile.