‘He has hurt his mother, the great Smita Patilji…’

Prateik Babbar and Priya Banerjee’s recent wedding was a beautiful sight to witness for their family, friends, and fans. However, his decision to exclude his father, veteran actor Raj Babbar, and half-siblings Arya Babbar and Juhi Babbar from the guest list raised many eyebrows, leaving his family members hurt. Now, Arya Babbar, Raj Babbar’s eldest son, has expressed disappointment, questioning what led to this decision by Prateik Babbar.

Speaking to SCREEN, Arya Babbar opened up about not getting invited to his brother’s wedding and said, “Somewhere we as a family must have failed him. Not inviting other members of our family, my mother (Nadira Babbar), my sister (Juhi Babbar), or me could be condonable: maybe we have failed him as a family, although we have never treated him as a stepbrother. Lekin chalo, shaayad humse koi bhool ho gayi ho (Perhaps, we made a mistake). But Papa? Not inviting our Papa, his Papa (Raj Babbar)… how can he do this? Papa is very very hurt. By doing this, Prateik has hurt his mother, the great Smita Patilji, as well. If he stops to think for a moment, he would know that his mother, whom he respects and loves so much, must be very hurt. Would she want this?”

Prateik Babbar is the son of late superstar Smita Patil and Raj Babbar. The two met during the 1982 film Bheegi Palkein. Raj Babbar was married to Nadira Babbar but eventually left her for Smita. However, Smita Patil died at 31 due to complications after childbirth, just after giving birth to their son Prateik in November 1986.

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