Aarya Babbar on Prateik dropping Babbar surname: ‘Name change ho sakta hai, wajood nahi’ | Exclusive

Cracks between the family became visible when Prateik Babbar got married to Priya Banerjee and didn’t invite Raj Babbar and the family to the wedding.

The Babbar family has been embroiled in controversy lately, with rumours of a rift between Prateik Babbar and his father, actor-politician Raj Babbar. The speculation gained momentum when Prateik chose not to invite his father to his wedding to Priya Banerjee. Furthermore, Prateik's decision to drop his father's name and adopt his late mother's surname, changing his name to Prateik Smita Patil, added fuel to the fire. Now, Prateik's half-brother Aarya Babbar has reacted to the whole buzz, stating that one cannot simply shed one's identity.

Aarya remains unfazed by the media frenzy surrounding his family's personal struggles.

On Prateik Babbar changing his surname

In a recent interview with The Times of India, Prateik revealed that he has changed his name ‘Prateik Smita Patil’. He said, “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 Prateik’s decision to change his surname, Aarya tells us, “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”.

“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 shares.

Aarya continues, “Aap apna name change kar sakte ho, wajood nahi (You can change your name, but you can't change your identity). Rahunga toh Babbar hi becasue wajood mera woh hi hai, aap woh kaise change kar sakte ho (I'll remain a Babbar because my existence is rooted in that, how can you change that?)”.

On Prateik’s claims about things being complicated

In a recent interview, Prateik acknowledged that the situation is indeed complicated. And that he will come out and talk about it when he feels emotionally prepared to do so.

Talking about ‘the complicated’ claim, Aarya says, “Well, that is okay. The boy is understanding however he wants to go about it. Whatever I had to say about it, I had already said about it”.

On buzz around family feud

Aarya remains unfazed by the media frenzy surrounding his family's personal struggles.

“We are a family which is in the public eye toh bola toh jayega na (so people will have things to say). We can’t really say or do anything about it. We have to be okay about it. These things are a part and parcel of being in the industry. At the end of the day we are public property,” asserts the actor, who is also carving a career in comedy apart from acting.

When questioned whether he feels that the family issues should have been addressed privately rather than being played out in the public eye, Aarya Babbar responds, “It is okay. It is a part of life. We can’t really help it. Aisi cheezon ke baare mein itna zyada sochna nahi chahiye (One shouldn't think too much about such things). Ek life hai, jeeyo aur mast raho (There's just one life, live it and enjoy it to the fullest)."

More about the family

The cracks between the family became visible when Prateik got married to Priya Banerjee on February 14 and didn’t invite the Babbar family to the wedding. Raj Babbar first married Nadira Babbar in 1975, and he shares two children, Juhi Babbar and Arya Babbar. He later tied the knot with Smita Patil in 1983 and welcomed their son, Prateik Babbar, in 1986. However, Smita passed away the same year due to childbirth complications. Raj and Nadira reconciled a few years later