Actor Prateik Babbar has been always vocal and candid about his journey with substance abuse, which he now successfully overcome. The son of legendary actors Smita Patil and Raj Babbar struggled with drug addiction at a very tender age but his struggle with substance use ended in 2013 when he entered rehabilitation. In a recent interview, the actor opened up about his first drug use and also emphasised how this affected his personal and professional lives.
In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Prateik said, ”I just want to say that people think, ‘Oh, he entered films, got fame and money, and then started taking drugs.’ No, that’s not true. My drug use began when I was thirteen years old, even before I turned twelve. Yes, I was terrified. So, it wasn’t because of the film industry. Unfortunately, I had a different kind of upbringing, and my family situation was a bit complicated. That’s why I started using drugs. It’s not that fame and money in films led me to it—I had already started using drugs then.”
He also talked about the lasting impact drug use had in his personal life. And yes, it did affect me, and still does, especially in relationships. Drugs are associated with trauma, you understand. As long as that trauma isn’t released, it will continue to impact relationships and other areas of life. But there comes a time when you have to work to make things better, which I’ve been doing for many years. My fiancee (actor Priya Banerjee) has been helping me improve in many ways. We’re helping each other grow, though she doesn’t need any improvement—she’s perfect! That’s life, you know; you have to move on,” he added.
On the personal front, Prateik was earlier married to producer Sanya Sagar. They tied the knot in 2019 but separated in 2020, finalising their divorce three years later in 2023. He recently got engaged to Priya Banerjee, who is also an actress and primarily works in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films.
