Prateik Smita Patil, the son of the late actress and veteran star Raj Babbar, was just 22 when he shot for his debut film Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (2008). After completing the shoot for the film, he was enrolled in Mumbai’s Whistling Woods International. However, the acting institute founded by filmmaker Subhash Ghai threw him out within two years of his joining due to his drug addiction.
In a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble, Prateik claimed that his addiction brought a huge downfall in both his personal and professional career, leaving him with deep regrets. He said, “I made very bad choices. I won’t say I could have done anything differently because I was going through something since a very young age. I made the choice of getting into alcohol and substance abuse again. I gave into my weakness. I had valid reasons, if I may. Things were far more complicated than it sounds when we talk about it now. But those choices brought a downfall in both my profession and personal life.”
Prateik, who was raised by his maternal grandparents after the passing of his mother during childbirth, regrets giving a tough time to them. He said, “The grandparents saw the worst of me in those last few years. I was a raging addict. My grandmother died seeing me an addict. That’s something I regret. I wish she could see the man I have become today.”
While talking about the kind of impact his addiction had on his life, Prateik recalled being kicked out of several schools and colleges, one being founded by filmmaker Subhash Ghai.
“I shot Jaane Tu and then I went to Whistling Woods. I was studying a little bit here and there. There was a kind of slump as I didn’t know what I was doing. I was there for about 2 years and then I was thrown out of Whistling Woods for doing drugs. Now that I think about it, It is funny. I got thrown out of every school and college I went into. I was a menace.”
