Prateik Smita Patil who is Raj Babbar and the late Smita Patil’s son has long shared a complicated equation with his father and extended family. After losing her mother soon after birth, Prateik was raised by her maternal grandparents and has previously spoken openly about her struggles with substance abuse and emotional struggles. Although her bond with Raj improved over time, tensions have resurfaced in recent years – most recently when Prateik married her. Priya Banerjee 2025 and decided not to invite his father or members of Raj’s first family, including siblings Juhi and Aarya Babbar.Now, Aarya Babbar has opened up about her broken family dynamics in a recent interview. Searching for Prateik emotionally, Aarya reflected on how relationships require attention and patience. “Some relationships we nurture with a lot of love because they are too delicate, so you take care of them a lot,” she said in an interview with Vickey Lalwani. Aarya said things started changing after Prateik divorced his ex-wife, Sanya Sagar. According to him, communication between them suddenly stopped despite attempts to reconnect. “We didn’t understand when he suddenly stopped connecting with us as soon as he settled his divorce with his ex-wife. I texted him, called him so many times, but no response,” he said.Pratei also expressed frustration with how the family is perceived publicly whenever they face personal struggles. “We become evil, and the world paints Pratei as a victim,” he said.Speculating whether there have been issues with Prateik’s wife Priya Banerjee, Aarya denied any previous conflict and said the family had spent quality time in the past, including dinners and outings. He added that he tried to contact Priya but did not hear back.Aarya further accuses Pratei of distancing her from her father by taking his help during difficult phases. “When your career is not doing well and you need your father’s pocket money to survive, then it is your father. When you want to live in the house your father bought from Smita maa, then it is your father. When you want all the benefits, then it’s your dad. But when you have to admit it, and when you have to give him respect in front of society, then he is not your father. what is that As the older brother, I love him, but when it’s wrong, it’s wrong, and that’s where it’s wrong.”Raj Babbar’s personal life has often come under public scrutiny. He married Nadira Babbar and had children Juhi and Aarya when he fell in love with actress Smita Patil. Raj later moved in with Smita, and both welcomed Pratei. However, tragedy struck when Smita died soon after Prateik’s birth due to complications during childbirth. Raj was eventually reunited with Nadira and their children, while Prateik grew up with his maternal grandparents.Reflecting on the emotional complexity of the situation, Aarya said, “It is so tragic that Smita maa, my father left her family, that now Smita maa’s son is not ready to acknowledge that he is her father. What could be a greater tragedy than that?”While talking about Prateik’s actions, Aarya says that she has tried many times to give her brother the benefit of the doubt, but believes that matters are matters. “It is so tragic that Smita maa, my father abandoned his family, that today Smita maa’s son is not ready to acknowledge that he is his father. What can be a greater tragedy than that?” he said, before adding: “I would always give Pratei the benefit of the doubt that something might happen, but at the same time, you’re a 40-year-old man, and if a 40-year-old man can’t use his brain, then what do you do?”Despite their close relationship, Aarya clarified that she would still stand by Prateik if needed. He admitted that reconciliation might not bring things back to the way they were before, though he thinks Raj and Juhi would welcome Pratei. “As a big brother, I’ll be here for her, but if they ask me if I can hug her and love her, maybe not,” he said.Aarya also points to Prateik’s changing professional personality over the years as another sign of his estrangement from his family. “It’s not the first time he’s done that. When he started in the industry, his name was.”Prateik Babbar‘. Then it was ‘Prateik Smita’. Then he became ‘Prateik’. Then ‘Prateik Babbar’ again. And now, it’s ‘Prateik Smita Patil’,” he said, before adding lightly, “Maybe there’s some numerology going on in his life. We don’t know that.”
