Arya Babbar says there’s no bitterness over Raj Babbar leaving family for Smita Patil: ‘He had another affair’

Aarya Babbar admitted that hearing about his father Raj Babbar’s affair was never easy as a child, but said he has come to terms with it over the years.

Actor Arya Babbar has chosen peace over bitterness when it comes to his father Raj Babbar’s past relationship with the late actor Smita Patil. Arya revealed that there is no lingering resentment anymore, adding that Raj Babbar was involved in another relationship after Smita Patil’s death.

Raj Babbar got married to Nadira in 1975.

Aarya on Raj and Smita’s relationship

Aarya recently appeared in a new video on Vickey Lalwani’s YouTube channel, where he opened up about growing up in the shadow of the fallout from Raj and Smita’s relationship.

“I was only three or four years old then, so I do not remember what exactly was happening at home when Smita maa came into my father’s life. People often ask me how I feel about it, but there is not much to say now. Even today, everyone is still carrying those emotions… Today, I am 44 years old. This happened when I was four or five. My father accomplished a lot in life after that, and so did our family. But somehow, the biggest thing that remained attached to our lives was that my father had an affair, fell in love, and gave dignity to that relationship. That became the defining issue of our lives. Aisa nahi hona chahiye (This should not happen). We have all moved on from it, and because we have moved on, everyone else should move on too,” he said.

Aarya admitted that hearing about his father’s affair was never easy as a child, but said he has gradually come to terms with it over the years.

Aarya shared, “Which child would like hearing that their father had an affair? But it happened, and it is okay now. Papa moved on too, he had another affair. You should not carry so much emotional baggage about everything in life.”

Talking about Raj returning to the family after Smita Patil’s death, Aarya shared that the reconciliation took place much later, after several years had passed. He said that it happened when his father built a bungalow in Juhu and invited them to come live there. He was around nine at that time, and asserted that Smita Patil had passed away much earlier.

About the Babbar family

Raj was married to Nadira from 1975 to 1983. After meeting Smita Patil on the set of their 1982 film Bheegi Palkein, he left Nadira to marry Smita. Their son Prateik was born in 1986. Smita died soon after from complications during childbirth at age 31. Raj and Nadira reconciled a few years later—they have a son and a daughter. Prateik Babbar recently got married to Priya Banerjee. Nobody from the Babbar family was invited to the wedding. This is Prateik’s second marriage; he was married to Sanya Sagar. They parted ways in 2023 after being married for a year.