Actor Arya Babbar, son of veteran actor and politician Raj Babbar and theatre doyenne Nadira Babbar, has opened up about his childhood, his father’s relationship with the late legendary actor Smita Patil, and the complex dynamics of growing up in a blended family.
In a candid interview with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel, Arya made several revelations about his father’s personal life and his own equation with him.
‘There’s no bitterness’
When asked if there was any bitterness in the family or with his father because Raj Babbar left Nadira Babbar for Smita Patil after having a relationship with her, Arya said there is no bitterness at all.
“There is no bitterness because he had another affair. It was not like he was only having an affair with Smitaji. There was someone else also,” Arya revealed. He clarified that he was mentioning this not to put his father on the spot but because “a lot has been written about it and there’s a lot of twisted stories here and there.”
‘Kuch cheezein zyada hi detail mein hain’
Arya also noted that many details of his father’s personal life have already been written about in the media. “It’s all out there. Kuch cheezein zyada hi detail mein hain, which we don’t even know about,” he remarked, pointing to the public nature of his family’s history.
He stated that, as a child, he was not aware of the affairs but found out gradually as he grew older. “But gradually you find out what has happened—whether there was an affair before, what was the situation, is someone hiding something or not? So then you figure out.”
Relationship with Raj Babbar now ‘situational’
Arya described his current relationship with his father as “situational.” “If it demands us to be together, we are together,” he said, adding that they do not share the kind of equation where he would call his father to go out to dinner.
The actor also noted that Raj Babbar’s parenting style was not demanding. “My father was not really adamant about how you should live life,” he said, contrasting his father’s approach with his mother’s — “My mother did everything for us. She worked really hard.”
A brotherhood built on absence
Arya also spoke about his relationship with his half-brother, actor Prateik Babbar, born to Raj Babbar and Smita Patil. “Our bonding happened because our father was not there. So there was one pillar missing, we became the pillar of that house,” Arya explained.
He also praised Prateik for his courage in overcoming personal challenges. “For us, his comeback was actually very important. I am proud of him because he is doing a lot of good work now.”
On Smita Patil’s untimely death
Smita Patil, widely regarded as one of the finest actors in Indian cinema, died on December 13, 1986, due to childbirth-related complications, just 15 days after giving birth to Prateik Babbar.
Arya revealed that Prateik was raised by his mother, Nadira Babbar, along with his sister Juhi Babbar, and himself. “Even after Smita Patil passed away… Prateik was brought up by my mother, my sister, and me,” he said.
Arya Babbar’s career
Arya Babbar made his Bollywood debut with ‘Ab Ke Baras’ (2002) and has since appeared in films across multiple languages including Hindi, Punjabi, and Marathi. He is also known for his role in ‘Chori Chori Chupke Chupke’ (2001), which starred Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Preity Zinta.
The interview, in which Arya also called actor Sharman Joshi his “best friend” and revealed they once met to “have a fistfight but ended up having a drink instead,” has since gone viral across social media platforms.
