Prateik Patil Babbar and Priya Banerjee tied the knot yesterday, but the absence of the Babbar family raised eyebrows. His half-brother, Aarya Babbar, made a surprising statement, revealing that none of them were invited to the wedding.

When we reached out to their sister, Juuhi Babbar Sonii, she said, “I’m not defending Aarya, but he is obviously hurt, just like everyone else. When someone is hurt, they have the right to express themselves. This is a sensitive topic, and it has been one even before Prateik was born. But no matter what, Prateik is my brother and nothing in the world can change that, nor the fact that hum ek hi baap (Raj Babbar) ki aulaad hain.”

Prateik is surrounded by a few people who have influenced him, says Juuhi Babbar Sonii

Juuhi also suggested that certain people around Prateik might have played a role in his distancing from the family. She said, “Right now, he is surrounded by a few people — whom we don’t wish to name — who have influenced him. But we don’t want to sandwich him in the middle because that won’t help anyone. When I say sandwich, it doesn’t mean Prateik is caught between Priya and us — absolutely not. Priya is a wonderful girl, and he is extremely fortunate to have found a partner who truly loves and understands him. The real sandwiching is happening because of someone else — someone desperate for publicity and importance. Everyone knows that my mother (Nadira Babbar) has always been with Prateik. It’s such a strong and dominating presence that people get intimidated, thinking we will take the attention away on his special day. Bhai, behen ya baap koi importance lenge? Hum bas yeh chahte hain ki hamara bhai shaant rahe, khush rahe — that’s all that matters to us.”

Despite not being part of the celebration, Juuhi emphasized that there is no animosity. “He has had an unhappy experience in his first marriage, and now he has taken a big step by choosing to remarry. We don’t want to put him under any pressure. Shaadi-byah mein har parivaar mein baatein hoti hain. His first wedding was a grand affair for us, hum khoob naache thay, and when his marriage ended, hamaare papa uske saath khade thay and helped him through it. There is no issue from our side,” she said.

She added, “Right now, maybe he is processing things in his own way, woh khud ko khoj raha hai zara sa. Papa, mummy aur hum sab samajhte hain uski situation ko. Family ka sabse bada kaam hai bachhe ko samajhna. We may not have shared sweets this time, but there will be more occasions to celebrate together. Bahut mauke aayenge, tab hum mithai bhi khaayenge, naachenge bhi, aur phir pictures bhi post karenge. For now, we are letting it pass.”