
Prateik Smita Patil On Being Thrown Out Of Subhash Ghai's Film Institute: "I Was A Raging Addict"
Prateik Smita Patil is the son of the late actress Smita Patil and actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar. Prateik recently got candid about his long battle with substance abuse, and how it led to him being expelled from schools and colleges.
In a conversation with Bollywood Bubble, Prateik spoke about how he had enrolled in Whistling Woods, a film institute founded by filmmaker Subhash Ghai. However, Prateik was thrown out of it because of his drug addiction.
Prateik said, "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."
He added, "The grandparents saw the worst of me in those last few years. I was a raging addict. My grandmother died seeing me as an addict. That's something I regret. I wish she could see the man I have become today."
Prateik recently got married to actor Priya Banerjee. The internet was abuzz with their intimate wedding, and Raj Babbar not being invited to their wedding.
On the work front, Prateik was seen in Salman Khan's Sikandar, the film had Rashmika Mandanna as the female lead. It was directed by AR Murugadoss. Prateik was also seen in HIT: The Third Case, which had Nani and Srinidhi Shetty in the lead. The film was helmed by Sailesh Kolanu.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Sholay actor's father was killed in the World War 2, she walked 900 kms to escape same fate; mother had a miscarriage and brother died of smallpox
Helen Ann Richardson wasn't necessarily born to become the most recognisable cabaret dancer of Bollywood; rather, a series of events and life-altering episodes brought her to Bollywood's door. The actor was born to an Anglo-Indian father and a Burmese mother. One of three children, Helen had experienced tragedy very early in her life, when her father was killed during World War 2. The family decided to pack up their belongings and flee the country, a trip that would change their lives forever. In 1964, Helen recalled the arduous journey in an interview with Filmfare, and said, 'We trekked alternately through wilderness and hundreds of villages, surviving on the generosity of people, for we were penniless, with no food and few clothes. Occasionally, we met British soldiers who provided us with transport, found us refuge, treated our blistered feet and bruised bodies and fed us.' Helen's family was part of a larger group, and their goal was to reach Dibrugarh in Assam, which was roughly 900 km away. She said in the same interview that by the time they reached Assam, their group 'had been reduced to half, as some had fallen ill and were left behind, while some died of starvation, and my mother had a miscarriage.' During a conversation with her stepson Arbaaz Khan on Bollywood Bubble, Helen recalled how, 'About 300-350 people migrated. In my family, there was my mother, my little brother, and me. We were both little, and my mother was pregnant, too. And she lost my little sister there.' ALSO READ: Asha Parekh shares dinner date photo with BFFs Waheeda Rehman and Helen; fans say, 'Legendary ladies in one frame' Upon reaching Assam, the entire family was hospitalised, and they shifted to Kolkata right after their recovery. Helen's brother, who was in critical condition when he reached India, contracted smallpox and died shortly after. Soon they moved to Mumbai, but the city proved too much from a financial point of view, and Helen's mother was struggling to manage the expenses of the family. Enter another famed Bollywood actor/dancer, Cuckoo, who happened to be a family friend and decided to lend a hand. In an interview with the actor recalled the nascent stage of her career and said, 'After being a chorus girl in many films, I finally landed solo dance numbers in Alif Laila (1953) and Hoor-e-Arab (1955.)' But the turning point came with the 'Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo' number in Shakti Samanta's Howrah Bridge in 1958. OP Nayyar's brilliant music gave the song the zing that it demanded.' Notably, Helen was just 19 when she had to abandon her education and help her mother take care of the house. She shot to fame after that performance, and everyone took notice of the talent and panache she possessed. Geeta Dutt and Helen became frequent collaborators, and the singer voiced the dancer on several notable occasions. Even though Helen was climbing the ladder to success, she was bogged down with the same roles, where she would often step aside for the female lead. Her acting prowess shone through in films like Gumnaam (1965), China Town (1969), and Sachaai (1969), and she even got nominated for a Filmfare for the former. With the help of Salim Khan, whom Helen married in 1981, she bagged some more influential roles in films like Don, Sholay, and Dostana. Her appearance Ramesh Sippy's Sholay, is one of the most recognisable music sequences in the history of Bollywood, in which she dances effortlessly along with RD Burman's grunt filled vocals, while the cunning and disoriented villain Gabbar looks on. Even though Helen had a successful career, she never forgot where she came from and often talked about the difficulties her mother faced while trying to save herself and her children. Helen's riveting story has been documented quite well, especially in the 1973 documentary Helen, The Queen of the Nautch Girls, and the 2006 book by Jerry Pinto titled Helen: The Life and the Times of an H-Bomb. She has more than 500 film credited to her name, and has a career spanning almost 70 years. Her last appearance in a film was in the Madhur Bhandarkar directorial Heroine (2015), alongside Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Shahana Goswami, and Divya Dutta.


Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Aditi Govitrikar slams trolls age-shaming Malaika Arora, hails her strength: ‘Have you achieved what she has?'
Bollywood actor Malaika Arora has often been subjected to age-shaming on social media, with trolls targeting her appearance and personal life. Now, her friend and actor Aditi Govitrikar, with whom she frequently shares meals and fitness sessions, has spoken out in her defence. Aditi Govitrikar defends Malaika Arora against age-shaming trolls. Aditi Govitrikar hits back at trolls age-shaming Malaika Arora In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Aditi hit back at trolls for age-shaming Malaika and said, "See, Malaika is one of the strongest, one of the strongest women I have ever met. The way she has handled her life, the way she handles herself, is something that I think we should learn from her, not troll her. And where age is concerned, I mean, she looks fabulous for her age.' Aditi added, "I don't think I know anybody who is her age who looks that good. You know, she works hard; that girl is a very, very hard-working woman. So instead of respecting her for what she is doing, log pot shots lete hain. Again, my request is to look at yourself: do you have that level of fitness? Have you achieved what she has achieved? And then let's talk." Malaika has often been at the receiving end of trolling, with social media users fixating on her age to attack her fashion choices, lifestyle, and relationships. She has been targeted for wearing what some called 'age-inappropriate' outfits, including a revealing dress she wore to an event with her son. Her relationship with actor Arjun Kapoor, who is younger than her, has also sparked online jibes. Aditi Govitrikar and Malaika Arora's recent work Aditi was most recently seen in the web series Life Hill Gayi, which premiered in 2024 on Disney+ Hotstar. Malaika, on the other hand, was recently seen as a judge on the dance reality show Hip Hop India season 2, which also featured Remo D'Souza as a judge. The show, available to watch on Amazon MX Player, concluded in June this year with Shubhankar lifting the trophy.


Time of India
20 hours ago
- Time of India
Mukesh Khanna doubts if Ranbir Kapoor can pull off Lord Ram's character in 'Ramayana': 'He has an image chasing him…'
Mukesh Khanna is not happy with the casting of Nitesh Tiwari 's ' Ramayana ', especially Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram. The veteran actor talked about the same in an interview. He expressed his doubts about Ranbir pulling off the role. Here's what the 'Shaktiman' actor said about the 42-year-old star. Mukesh Khanna on Ranbir Kapoor playing Lord Ram in 'Ramayana' In an interview with Gallata India, Mukesh Khanna lashed out at Ranbir Kapoor's image in the industry. He also expressed his concerns about the portrayal of Lord Ram as more of a warrior than a peaceful man. He said, "They're showing Rama is climbing trees and shooting arrows. Krishna or Arjuna can do that, but Rama won't do it." Mukesh Khanna added if Lord Ram had declared himself as a warrior, he wouldn't have asked for help from the monkeys. The actor said, "He was enough, one man against Ravana." Further talking about Ranbir playing the role of the lord, Mukesh Khanna said, "From what I can see, I don't know if Ranbir Kapoor can pull off the Maryada Purshottam image of Rama." The veteran shared that he doesn't doubt the acting capabilities of RK. However, according to Mukesh Khanna, Ranbir has "an image chasing him, and that's Animal. I don't have an objection to it. He could do it." Casting director Mukesh Chhabra on getting Ranbir Kapoor on board In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Mukesh Chhabra said that he was not involved in getting Ranbir Kapoor on board for the film. The casting director added that Ranbir was already cast before he became a part of the film. He said, "But baaki sab discussions ka main hissa tha." More about 'Ramayana' Nitesh Tiwari's magnum opus is reportedly a two-part film, with the first installment releasing Diwali 2026 and the next in Diwali 2027. It also stars Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita and Yash as Lankpati Raavan.