Prateik Babbar’s career was in resurrection mode when he joined Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor and Nitesh Tiwari for Chhichhore (2019), which went on to win a National Award. The film also turned out to be Sushant’s last theatrical release. Recalling the time spent with the actor who passed away on June 14 last year, Prateik says, “I was fortunate to work with him, even if it was for just one film. It became such a success. It’s a special film for all of us in the team. Sushant and I were acquaintances who would bump into each other at events. I’d even seen him at the gym a couple of times. I had noticed that Sushant had an aura about him, which was not like anyone else’s in the business. He was unique and he stood out. My experience of working with him was very short, restricted largely to the time we spent shooting or rehearsing our scenes together. That was the only time we bonded and got talking.”

Elaborating on how they bonded, Prateik says, “We did our readings and rehearsals together simultaneously as the shot was being set up. He was an extremely warm, fun-loving and an easy-to-talk-to kind of person. But he would also drift away sometimes into his own world. Sushant loved having conversations; not only was he always trying to have a good time on the set, but he would ensure others were having fun, too. Sushant loved talking about quantum physics, planets, stars and sciences. I still remember he wanted to visit Antarctica after shooting the film. I was blown away with that; who would think of doing that really? He did! He was curious about life and exploring it through all its avenues. He was one of a kind, who saw things differently and had priorities that were different from the herd. He was a gem of a guy.”

Prateik played an antagonist of sorts in the campus drama. Sushant and he, apart from having a few run-ins in the story, engaged in a basketball match, which was commended for its realistic feel. Bring this up and Prateik says, “We really got into the skin of our characters. That’s the only way I can explain it. Building an equation or a vibe with any character in a story is difficult. We went with the flow of the script and complemented each other in our scenes. If you felt a sense of realism in the competition between our teams and us in the film, it was because our director Nitesh Tiwari put us through some intense training and prep.”

He adds, “Sushant and I were also passionate about getting things right in the scenes. The basketball sequence took almost two weeks to shoot. We’d shoot for a few hours every day. In between the shots, Sushant and I would do hoops together. We would be fooling around with the basketball, typically like boys in a campus do. We would love doing that every day. That was one of those really nice times that we spent together filming. From there to now, when I talk about Sushant in the past tense, it feels like a shocker to me. I will always remember him as a unique guy, who was so friendly, curious and full of life.”

Celebrating a year of sobriety after his drug addiction got the better of him, Prateik promises those still struggling, that help is there
Prateik Babbar (MID-DAY; August 10, 2017)

I am that 30-year-old Bollywood chap, the son of legendary actor Smita Patil, who passed away few days after childbirth, born into the family of Raj Babbar, with a legacy to honour. But, up until now, I was only embarrassed, guilty and misplaced. People know me as Prateik Babbar, but don't know my story. Even today, I fear retribution, liability and trial. Some of this may have been deserved at one time, but today, my story is one of success. It is a story of optimism, fortitude, celebration and resurgence. I share this account so that my fans, family and friends can hear of the isolating, all-consuming nature of addiction, its treacherous grasp, and the determination that helped me emerge from this terrorizing infirmity.

My relationship with addiction is not the result of a solitary event or lack of resolve. Addiction of any sort is a complex disease, and I mean disease in its literal sense. It comes with physical and psychological symptoms, both of which act as stimuli, encouraging relapses. Unfortunately, the only treatment available is lifetime adherence to sobriety.

My struggle with drugs started before high school. Sports and music were constructive escapes for a while, but, they could only suffice for so long. My first real drug was a disturbed childhood. Constantly faced with internal dilemma, the voices in my head debating where I belong and who I am, drugs came disguised as a glitzy escape. As years went by, I got acquainted with the narcotic underbelly, which led me to my first run-in with drugs at the age of 13.

Although I was boisterous as a child, I was also introverted and often withdrew from social obligations. When I discovered drugs, I thought I found a remedy to becoming more amiable. Drugs would dull my emotions. But, like sports and music, it provided only temporary reprieve, giving me a feeling of conquest, like I'm ready to take on the world. But, when the high disappeared, I threw something else in the mix to combat the comedown. I wasn't consuming drugs at night, like party-goers do as a superficial part of their lifestyle. I was using it in the morning to get myself through the day. I needed it to exist. Perhaps, the most widespread delusion about addiction is the amount of time it can take for someone to become an addict. The cinemas tell you it happens right after the first hit, but addiction, like any disease, progresses.



While others who took drugs got fed up with it, I, unfortunately, got addicted. People turn judgmental when you've got a drug problem. Also, you don't want to admit the fact that you do. While I could chalk up my primary encounter with other drugs -- marijuana and hashish -- to experiments, the inquisitiveness led to recurrent use over time. By the time I was in my freshman year, seniors introduced me to the world of acid, cocaine and ecstasy. What started off as a few pills every couple of days, soon spiralled into uncontrolled consumption. I wouldn't say I was naïve to the effects of drug dependence, but I certainly wasn't prepared for what followed -- withdrawal symptoms that were worse than any hangover. Getting out of bed was almost impossible; nausea greeted me each morning, my body ached and I oscillated between hot and cold every few minutes. At that point, I didn't even have a drug of choice, I took whatever I could lay my hands on.

I was a fool who permitted love to drive me to self-destruction, all the while hoping I could find what I missed while growing up -- love and acceptance. But, when the joyride ended, it seemed like the worst karmic decision. My rebound was not a one-night stand. It was drugs, an excess of it. Women, with conditions, came and left, but drugs didn't.

But, it seems I was God's special child. He was not going to give up on me, even if the world did. A drug overdose made me sit up and take note of the monster I had become. I'm not religious, but at that moment, I encountered my first experience of spirituality. A heady cocktail rendered me unconscious with my face down on the bedroom floor. I was surrounded in vomit and regained consciousness only 24 hours later. It's a miracle I survived. The thought of going cold turkey had crossed my mind before, but the thirst to chase the initial high surpassed every rational thought. I couldn't recognize the man I saw in the mirror. I realized I hadn't looked myself in the eye ever since I started getting high. Following multiple episodes that made me feel like a miserable prisoner of drugs, I decided to finally seek professional help. My family refused to see their loved one attempt to slowly kill himself, and encouraged me to sign up for rehab.

I had no preconception about what awaited me, but given the nausea, pain and insomnia, among other withdrawal symptoms, I was up for anything. Drugs had consumed my brain to such an extent that even after a detox, it continued to hold some real estate up there. I spent three weeks in rehab trying to convince everyone I had beaten my addiction. But now, I am stronger, confident that whatever tribulations befall me, I will heal.

I am certain that I will wrestle my need for drugs even on my best days, but the only way to keep cynicism at bay is by sharing the emotions that fueled my addiction in the first place. That is also the first reason for scripting this piece. The second is to break the stigma associated with addiction. This stigma, I always feared, would define me for the rest of my life. I want to tell every addict that there is assistance. I can't promise that it will be easy, but I can assure you that it will be simpler than following a life that will eventually destroy you, and everything you love.

Detention doesn't work. Rehabilitation is important. You must amend an addict's thought process and give him mandatory programmes that can enable him to live life differently.

Today, I have been clean of drugs for one year. I can't be grateful enough for today. My priorities are redefined. If I were to lose someone dear, or get replaced in a project, my sobriety could fall apart. It's upon me to hold it together. Thinking about how I will manage to stay sober for the rest of my life is daunting, but staying sober, just for today, doesn't seem so bad.

Prateik Babbar is working towards aiding addicts, survivors regain their self-worth with acceptance, shared experience
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 2, 2017)

Prateik Babbar’s life story is the stuff of Bollywood lore, starting with his actress-mother Smita Patil whom he lost within days of his birth and his tenuous relationship with dad Raj Babbar, to his dalliances in wonderland and a downward spiral fueled by a battle with drugs over the last five years. Now, he returns to the arclights with two big ticket projects, Baaghi 2 and Mulk. Sounding upbeat, the 30-year-old actor describes 2017 as a “super kind” year, and is grateful to directors Ahmed Khan and Anubhav Sinha for giving him work when he was trying to re-establish himself in the film industry. “I will always be indebted to those who helped me become the son my mother would have wanted to see,” he says.

Touching on the phase when he was into substance abuse, Prateik insists that there is no one but himself to blame for the addiction. “I’m still on the road to recovery but I’m proud to have turned over a new leaf. Substance abuse is like a bad marriage, even after you quit, it haunts you for a while till people start noticing the turnaround,” he points out, quick to add that his decision wasn’t influenced by what others were thinking or saying, but was purely personal. “I’m answerable to only my conscience. And yes, people take me more seriously now that I’m no longer the hippie rave but someone committed to fitness, auditions and family.”

Talking of family, his only regret is that his maternal grandfather Shivajirao Girdhar Patil, who passed away recently, isn’t around to see him through his detox. But that has only made him more determined and he’s set timetables and deadlines as he works towards selfimprovement. Prateik has plans to start a welfare center for those grappling with drugs and depression. He’s also working on a video, Blush: Dil Se Azad, which celebrates his ‘survival’ and works towards breaking the taboos and stigmas attached to addiction.

“Addiction is not a moral failing, it does not make you a bad person even if you have made a poor choice. People still think I got hooked because it was ‘cool’ for a celebrity to indulge in recreational drugs. But for me, it was more of an escape from reality. My childhood was complicated and there were a lot of questions I didn’t have answers to so I looked elsewhere for solace,” confides the actor who wishes his grandfather — whom he calls ‘godfather’ — could have seen this video. “There are things I have spoken about which I didn’t have the guts to address with him directly.”

He acknowledges that many makers approached him to make documentaries and short films on his life before and after the substance abuse but he finally gave the nod to this video because he saw a sense of direction in the team. “It’s a sensitive topic and if you don’t get it right at the first go, you can mess up things,” cautions Prateik, who believes he can help others by accepting their ‘ailment’ and speaking to them about his experiences. “Acceptance and speaking up can help change the face of addiction. It educates those who are ailing and tells others that the stereotype of people suffering is the exception rather than the rule. Acceptance is one of the first steps to recovery.”

He is also non-judgmental on the issue. “I’m a fighter and criticism is not an option for me. Yes, one is entitled to his/her opinion and it’s human to be judgmental but everyone deserves a second chance. The idea is to move on,” he asserts, saying that he wants to inspire survivors and those still in the grips of the ‘disease’ by reinforcing that most success stories are an outcome of struggle. “I want to create awareness by showcasing the boy uninterrupted so the world doesn’t get to see just one side of the story.”

Meanwhile, Prateik is completely focused on his career, putting in two hours at the gym every day and reading close to 15 scripts every month, besides meeting producers, casting agents and directors. “I’m looking for quality work and am not embarrassed to go out and ask for it. I’m also doing a lot of theatre with Jeff Goldberg because I believe it polishes your acting skills,” he says.

Post rehab, the 30-year-old actor is on a mission to promote a healthy lifestyle; says his mother, the late Smita Patil, would like the new him
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 27, 2017)

On Smita Patil's 30th death anniversary, son Prateik Babbar on the worst five years of his life and resurrecting himself with sobriety
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 13, 2016)

Actor’s food stall at Dharamshala film festival a big hit, inspires him to launch restaurant chain
MID-DAY (November 8, 2016)

Over the last few days, Prateik Babbar was in the mountain town of McLeod Ganj for the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF), which came to a close yesterday. But, it wasn’t for the screening of any of his films — the 29-year-old actor had been running a food stall at the film fiesta, selling dosas, medu vada and pizza to visitors.

“But Morgan’s has a lot of variety,” insists Prateik. Morgan is the anglicised name for Murugan, the owner of a rundown shack, who he had met in Dharamshala when his 2015 film Umrika was screened at DIFF. “At that point, Murugan needed money to repair his shack. So, I decided to collaborate with him and put up a stall at the festival last year to serve pizza and pasta. It was an instant hit. Later, we transformed his shack into a proper restaurant and named it Morgan, instead of Murugan, to make it appealing for expats,” he says.

This year, Prateik decided to add some South Indian fare to Morgan’s menu. “We had Naseeruddin Shah and his wife Ratna Pathak Shah coming over to my stall to have dosa and medu vada. They loved it,” he beams.

Indeed, the actor was a star attraction at the festival and most visitors at his food stall not only relished the food items but also made sure to take pictures with him. Prateik reveals to hitlist plans of getting into the food business. “I am looking at expanding my business in Delhi and Mumbai, with a franchise model in place. I am working out the modalities,” he signs off.
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Harshada Rege (DNA; November 8, 2016)

Prateik Babbar is now a restaurateur. After Hrs caught up with the actor at the recently-concluded Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF), where his staff was serving delicious pizzas. The actor is a co-owner in a restaurant called Morgan’s Place in Dharmakot, in a village situated high in the hills above McLeodganj in Himachal Pradesh and is popular with local as well as international tourists.

At peace
Of his restaurant, he says, “This venture took off about a-year-and-a-half ago. The owner, Murugan, is a friend of mine. It had a different name earlier and it was more like a shack, but the food was delicious. He told me that he wanted to make it a proper restaurant, but did not know how to go about it. I knew he was passionate about it, so I told him that I’d invest in it. I also got a few other friends along. So now, he has a legit place. For me, it’s such a great feeling cause I am feeding people. My heart is at absolute peace.”

Film facts
It isn’t Prateik’s first time at the DIFF. He adds, “Last year, my movie Umrika, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2015, was screened here. I was introduced to DIFF because of the film, and I was smitten. The vibe is amazing.” The actor enjoyed himself immensely this year too. “I didn’t have a film at the festival, but I was still there, cooking for people and watching as many films as I could.”

Foodie at heart
The actor says that he never expected to open a restaurant, but he is a foodie. “I am a sucker for good food. Par kya karoon, mein kuch kha nahi sakta hoon because I am always on a diet to look a certain way and be fit. But when I break my diet, I eat everything.”

Luck by chance
He says the restaurant was a one-off thing and is mighty thrilled at the response it has received. “Fortunately, it worked out well. It’s doing brilliantly. People have loved the food. We are registered on TripAdvisor and are among the very few places to get five stars. We are actually getting offers for franchises. People have also been suggesting that we should open another joint in Goa and other such places, but we are taking our time.”

Expansion?
Another venture on the boards? “It’s an option now. Achha khane ka keeda hai, aur ab achha khilane ka keeda hai. And that has happened after this venture took off.” A restaurant in Mumbai on the cards? “Insha Allah. We are getting offers. I am taking it, step-by-step. But my focus is always on movies first. I am always busy trying to hone my skills as an actor,” he says.

Kitchen confidential
He is a restaurant owner, but does he fancy himself as a good cook? “I am curious in the kitchen, let’s put it that way. Whether I am good or not, is for others to say.”

He is making a debut, eight years after debuting. Making peace with a complicated family life, drug addiction and career flops. Prateik Babbar is an actor who is not giving up
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; April 24, 2016)

Prateik Babbar sits across the room from us at his public relations firm’s Andheri office, appearing like a debutant gingerly discussing his first film. He smiles shyly when our photographer calls out to him, talks softly, making an effort to leave a good impression. After all, he is trying to make a comeback.

For the last three years, Babbar, 29, hasn’t acted. Issaq, his last film released in 2013, a story of love in the time of sand mafia ravaged Benaras. It didn’t ring in well. Just like Ek Deewana Tha the year before, with actor and former girlfriend Amy Jackson. Professional setbacks have been only one of his headaches. Drug and alcohol addiction is the real bugbear.

He has been in and out of rehab multiple times. But now that he is celebrating a couple of months of being sober, the only way he sees himself getting back into the limelight is to tell the truth and hope for the best.

"For the last five years, only the substance mattered. Nobody else — family, friends — even came close. It was about running away from every kind of emotion. I was disgustingly addicted," he says straight-faced.

Babbar’s struggle was possibly scripted before his time. The only child to parallel cinema’s stars, Smita Patil and Raj Babbar, he was brought up by his maternal grandmother, Vidyatai Patil, and aunt, Manya Patil, after Smita passed away a month after his birth. Babbar was married to veteran theatre personality Nadira Zaheer Babbar with whom he had two children, when he met Smita. As a man in love with and married to two women, he led a complicated life. Its crushing burden on Smita, she once described as ‘private hell’. After her death in December 1986, Babbar returned to living with Nadira, who had accepted Smita in a strange ménage a troi arrangement, and their kids.

"My parents’ relationship always was a source of confusion. Why were things like this? If mom had just lived longer and dad would have spent more time with me…" he trails off before gripping the thought, "things could have been, actually, would have been, different."

Prateik grew up with grandparents grounded in nationalist ideology. Shivajirao Patil, one of Maharashtra's tallest leaders of the co-operative movement was member of the Rajya Sabha and twice elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Vidya, too, was involved with the socialist movement. Manya, their youngest daughter, who has a degree in fashion from New York, has been Prateik’s custodian in a sense, both personally and while managing his career.

The Patils, says Prateik, were clear that Babbar was responsible for Smita’s pain. It didn’t help that he was hardly around, busy with acting and political commitments. "I was brought up believing he was the bad guy. They told me what he had done, and how my mother was lonely. So, I distanced myself from him."

Drugs seemed a convenient balm. His first brush with substance abuse was at 14. It was marijuana with friends. As he grew braver, he moved to miracle mood changers. Ganja remained a constant.

The other constant was a girlfriend. "It was about rebelling. With drugs, I also needed relationships. I thought if I didn’t have anyone with me, I’d fall apart."

Perhaps to prove that relationships and marriage can work, he wanted to wed every woman he dated, including Jackson. "At 14, I engraved a girl’s name on my hand with a lit cigarette. I am very careful about falling in love now," he says.

A stint at a rehab centre in Mumbai was followed by relentless counselling. Most psychotherapy experts arrived at one conclusion — he was trying to fill a void. "I never believed that, though. But it was true. It makes me glad then that in the last three years, I have stayed away from a relationship. The break gave me the chance to face my problems alone, even if I was facing them when high."

Babbar wanted to launch him in a film, but when he turned 25. Instead, Prateik joined Prahlad Kakkar’s production firm as assistant director. Kakkar, a friend of the family, even had firm named by Smita. "Dad kept saying, wait, but I didn’t want any of it. I was pushing everyone away."

The going solo obsession made him symbolically severe ties with his father. In 2011, he announced that he was now simply, Prateik. He said in an interview during promoting Dum Maaro Dum in 2011 that he regarded actor Abhishek Bachchan as his elder brother, prompting half-brother Aryan Babbar to blame him for "doing all kinds of things for publicity". "I didn’t want to have anything to do with them. After advertising, I auditioned for Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na."



The 2008 romantic comedy produced by Aamir Khan to launch his nephew Imran, had critics single out Prateik as ‘the guy to watch out for’. Unusually natural on screen for a debutant, he won a Filmfare for the role in 2008.

For a while, things seemed to be going well. But during Ekk Deewana Tha, love did him in. His co-star, British model-turned actress Amy Jackson, who’d once told a magazine, most girls would be "happy dating Prateik", grew tired of his obsessive ways and packed up. When she returned on work from England next, the intricate tattoo on her forearm, Mera Pyaar, Mera Prateik, was gone.

"I could be called a romantic, but it’s not a good love when you ignore yourself and make it all about the other person. I forgot I existed. I was jealous, possessive… crazy. Think of a bad adjective, and I have been all that in five years. I don’t blame her for leaving," he says.

And then, Vidyatai Patil passed away last year. The woman who turned mother again in her 60s to take care of a month-old baby, the grandmother who Prateik petitioned from Ajmer’s prestigious Mayo College so that he could return, pleading, I can’t live without you, was gone.

Prateik says he lost track of reality, right and wrong. Without her watchful support, he took to what made him feel better, drugs and alcohol. "I was back to relying on it. It was my number one priority."

He knew he had hit rock bottom again. He decided, he’d return to rehab. "In an attempt to tell the world to f*** off, I was hurting myself the most." He also had his anger to deal with. But isolated, he turned to his only parent.

"I looked at my father and realised, this is the only parent I have — my biological father. And I suddenly didn’t want to care about what happened, and what he did. I wanted to love him. I couldn’t let the past, something I have no control over, destroy me." And so began one more long walk to normalcy.

Called "spontaneous" for his acting by Vidyatai, Prateik, who famously quit Subhash Ghai’s acting school in a day, now keeps himself busy at The Jeff Goldberg Studio where he is learning method acting. "I have never trained in it. It’s proving to be cathartic; to play a character different from who I am is helping me cope."

He has built a bridge to Nadira and the kids, calling their relationship "a hundred per cent normal". "I go and hang with them at home all the time".

Second chances don’t come easy. His day now starts at the gym, followed by class, meeting people and auditioning. "It’s not going to happen overnight. People will be wary, but I am positive that good things happen. I have to keep at it. Keep calling, keep reminding others that I’m here. There is no other life for me. This is what I do."

A few happy things have happened. He shot a commercial with MS Dhoni, recently starred in Aatish Dabral’s The Guitar, and his crossover movie, Umrika, which has done well on the festival circuit, will release later in the year.

Kept away from films and the industry when growing up, he knows his talent is inherited. As is his pull towards the gritty, indie scene. "I know! I keep thinking about that. It’s her [Smita] genes, and my father’s. A freaky coincidence, right?"

But complete redemption is still some time away. Coming clean on addiction in an industry famously expert at running for cover, is his way of standing out. "I want to say, yes, I was bad. Now, I want to be good, and do good. I hope it doesn’t backfire."

Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; April 16, 2016)

Tushar Joshi (DNA; October 19, 2015)


Your mom would have been 60 this year...
Yes. It’s been 29 years since my mom passed away; just two weeks after she gave birth to me. She would have been 60 on October 17. Besides being with her in heart, mind and spirit, my family and I try to spend as much time together remembering how magical a person she was. We talk about all the love and appreciation she had for everyone and all the love and appreciation she got back from all the people in her life. Her relationships with her filmmakers, colleagues, co-stars, producers and fans, was all organic, pure and beautiful. It was true and unconditional. I feel blessed that even 29 years after her passing, the world still wants to remember my mother and celebrate her life and achievements. So in her memory, this year, we released a book called Smita Patil: A Brief Incandescence. Mr Bachchan was kind enough to grace the occasion and release the book. Another special occasion was me speaking at the Mumbai University about my mother and how her being such an icon and legendary woman, has affected and moulded me into the person I am today.

Even though you barely spent any time together, you seem very connected to her.
I am connected to her. But unfortunately, the connect has never been through human touch or spending time together or being a family together. It was always through her films and photographs, stories from family, her friends and people she worked with. I feel I also have a huge connect with her as a performer and an actor. I like to study her style of performance and acting. In my opinion, she was a very simple actor but her performances were layered and had immense depth. That is also what I am looking for in myself as an actor and performer. But we connect on extraordinary love...cosmic love!

Do people tell you that you are like your mom?
People say I look like both my parents. Hey, I am not complaining! They were both very good-looking people when they were at the peaks of their career. I still feel they are very beautiful.

Is your relationship with your dad different now than it was five years ago?
I was raised by my mother’s parents, my father had another family to look after. I would see him, but not very often. I was kept away from the film industry, too. My grandmother did it to avoid all the drama, I suppose. Initially, there wasn’t a bond where I felt like I could go see him whenever I wanted, it wasn’t something I felt naturally about, it wasn’t organic. He wasn’t someone I could cry to earlier, as the years passed and I grew older and a little wiser I understood that he is the only biological parent I have left and I wanted to establish a connect. I wanted us to bond, I wanted us to love each other and that’s what we have now, love respect and admiration for each other.

You recently lost your grandmother. How are you coping?
My grandmother is and always will be my real mother. Smita is my reel mother! Just kidding! Smita is as real as on can get, but my grandmother Vidya is and always will be my number one. When I was a child I thought she would always be there, I thought she would never grow old, so yes it was a shock. But the whole family saw it coming, she got bed ridden and stopped walking and communicating. Though we were prepared for it, I still can’t believe she isn’t around. I miss her every single day. If I am half a decent and respectful man today it is only because of her. She will always be the driving force of my life.

Did you see it coming? And prepare yourself mentally?
Once she got bed ridden, we knew it was going to be only downhill from there. All we could do was to spend as much time with her as we could.

One thing that you will always remember her for?
Her being a disciplinarian.

What you will miss most about her?
She used to hate the way I dressed. My torn jeans with my boxers hanging loose. She always said now that you are making some money why don’t you buy clothes that are not torn? Brush your teeth thrice a day, shower twice, wash your hands before every meal, don’t drink water between meals, don’t smoke cigarettes, and drive the car slow. Last but not the least she said if you buy a bike I will never forgive you! That’s something that I am battling with till date... I love bikes!

She was the one constant in your life. How has your life changed after her?
I still believe she’s alive and still approach life like she’s living next door. I wake up every morning wanting to go meet her every evening after a day’s work trying to make something of myself, proud to tell her and make her proud just to see a smile on her face. Even my 92-year-old grandfather for that matter, I want to reach out to people through good cinema like my mother did and come home to my grandparents to tell them about how I want to be like my mother and make them proud the way she did. She will still remain constant just invisible but not inaudible, I will still speak to her through photographs like I have with my mother for my entire life. Sure I do feel the void and it does hurt and it always will. But my head is stuck on making her proud and that’s what I want to do.

She was your support system. Who do you see fulfilling that role in your life now?
I can fall back on everybody close to me in my family. My father, my aunts, my grandfather, Aarya, Juhi, their mother, but I want to be strong enough to be my own support system. I know its hard to even think of or easy to say, or maybe over ambitious even, but it’s the way I want to be and I am working on it.

What’s happening on the career front?
A film I worked on called Umrika directed by Prashant Nair also stars Life of Pi’s Suraj Sharma, we play brothers in the film. It won some rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival in January early this year and releases in India early next year. I am looking forward to what you guys think. It’s an art house film, my mothers favourite genre!

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 22, 2014)

After a promising start, Prateik Babbar's acting career hit a roadblock with the 2013 film Issaq. The son of (late) Smita Patil and Raj Babbar, then disappeared from the scene. But the 27-year-old was back at work, shooting for Rahul Kapoor and Sampoorna Entertainment's Bengali film Auroni Taukhonin in Andheri yesterday, when Mirror caught up with him on the sets. The film, directed by Saurav Chakraborty, who has assisted Ashutosh Gowariker in the past, will be dubbed in English and titled Tryst With Destiny. Excerpts from the conversation that followed:

Where have you been?
Around. Just moved from my house in Carter Road to a new place.

Your dad lost in the 2014 elections...
He has done quite a bit for his party. And he is a nice man. The news came as a disappointment.

You have reconciled with him...
Yeah. There were a few misunderstandings. Sometime ago, I visited him on his birthday. Nadira, Juhi and Arya were all present. Now, everything is fine.

Did they welcome you?
Yes.

So, are you going to start using your surname again?
Hmmm... I don't think so. My decision to drop it was spiritual.

Does your father's decision to stay with Nadira and their kids bother you?
Sometimes such thoughts still erupt in my mind. But, I have moved on.

What exactly bothers you?
Broken family (pauses). Dad was never around while I was growing up. He was always busy with his other family and I had to go and meet him at their house. Why did my mother pass away? It still hurts to come to terms with this reality.

Over to movies. Are you avoiding mainstream cinema?
Let's say I am being choosy. You know what? I am trying to do the type of films my mother did. I know that she did a Bengali film and I wanted to do one for the longest time. Now, finally I have got one.

Do your dad and you talk about your mother?
Yup. He tells me things about her -- I do the listening, he does the talking.

Let's not end this without talking about your ex, Amy Jackson...
Our love fizzled out. She and I wanted different things from life.

Buzz is, it ended because you were a possessive lover?
That was one of the reasons, maybe. She did want a lot of space.

Are you in touch with her?
Nahin. But I guess we will be cordial and respectful if we ever bump into each other.

And then you were linked with Amyra Dastur...
People don't know this but Amyra's real name is Amy. Which is why the link-up happened. I was not dating her. Lekin haan, she is a attractive girl.

Wasn't the Amy tattoo on your left arm a mistake?
Not really. One fine day, Amy returned from abroad with my name tattooed on her arm. I reciprocated. It was an emotional decision. You do impulsive things in love, don't you?

Do you see yourself falling in love again in the near future?
I don't know. These days.... (pauses).

Say it...
These days, I feel like Saif Ali Khan's character in Dil Chahta Hai. He thinks every girl is in love with him but they kick his a**.