Prateik Smita Patil says he broke a TV set as mother Smita Patil's movie was playing, took a baseball bat to all her photos: ‘I was extremely angry, bitter'

Indian Express

13-05-2025

Actor Prateik Smita Patil has had a strenuous relationship with all things in his life, including his career, family, mental health and past partners. Born to actors Raj Babbar and Smita Patil, he has always been very vocal about the troubles he faced while trying to fill his parents' shoes and how they were always occupied with their careers. In a recent interview, he explained his rift with anger management and drugs and how his family issues affected him.
While talking to ZOOM on their YouTube channel, Prateik shed some light on his addiction and how it got worse and more out of control due to the situation at his home. 'I overdosed a couple of times, and rehab didn't work for me. The second I was out, within a few weeks, I was back to being an addict. I was ashamed of my family situation and not having parents with me. I went through all of that, with drugs and everything, but I was protected, and it wasn't my time yet.'
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He talked about the aftermath of his addiction and added that, 'It was tough. You get boycotted and labelled, and you become an outcast. I was very fortunate to have my family, who were extremely upset with me, but they were there. I was perceived very differently in the society, and kids were told by their parents to stay away from me.'
As he shared stories from his childhood, he admitted to being an extremely angry child and how his parents' absence ate at him. 'My experience with depression came much later; in my childhood I dealt with a lot of anger. I was angry all the time, and I was filled with rage. I remember watching the television, and one of my mother's movies was playing. I was angry that she wasn't there with me, and I picked up the TV and broke it. I even took a baseball bat to all the pictures in the house.'
Through his ups and downs, Prateik is attempting a comeback into Bollywood, as he last appeared in Sikandar, alongside Salman Khan, Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal and Sharman Joshi. While the movie failed to make a sizable mark on the box office, big-budget films with established stars just might be the way to go for Prateik.