The Babbar family has recently found itself at the center of controversy, with rumors of a strained relationship between Prateik Babbar and his father, actor-politician Raj Babbar. Speculation intensified when Prateik decided not to invite his father to his wedding with Priya Banerjee. Adding to the controversy, Prateik announced that he had dropped his father’s surname and would now go by Prateik Smita Patil to honor his late mother’s legacy.
In a recent interview, Prateik confirmed the name change, stating, “I don’t care about the repercussions. All I care about is the way I feel when I hear that name. I need to be wholly and solely associated with my mother (Smita Patil), her name and her legacy. I don’t think any other name needs to taint that legacy, if you understand what I mean. It needs to just be her name and her legacy. That’s what I’m striving to be. I’m striving to be like my mother and not like my dad.”
Reacting to his brother’s decision, Aarya Babbar shared his thoughts, acknowledging that it was Prateik’s personal choice but emphasizing that identity goes beyond a surname. “I just have to say that Smita ma is our mother too. And what name he doesn’t want to keep and what name he wants to keep is his choice,” he said.
Elaborating further, Aarya added, “Kal ko main uthke apna naam Aarya Babbar se Aarya karlun, ya Rajesh kar lun. Main tab bhi Babbar hi rahunga na” (Tomorrow, if I wake up and change my name from Aarya Babbar to just Aarya, or even Rajesh, I’ll still be a Babbar, won’t I?). He reinforced his point, stating, “Aap apna name change kar sakte ho, wajood nahi. Rahunga toh Babbar hi, becasue wajood mera woh hi hai, aap woh kaise change kar sakte ho” (You can change your name, but you can’t change your identity. I will always remain a Babbar because my existence is rooted in that—how can you change that?).
With emotions running high in the Babbar family, the debate over legacy and identity continues, leaving many to wonder if reconciliation is on the horizon.
