Prateik Babbar, son of veteran actors Smita Patil and Raj Babbar has clocked 13 years in the industry. The actor, who made his Bollywood debut with a supporting role in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na which was much appreciated and he signed a spate of films. However, his later films did not catapult him to the big league. However, now he has made a niche for himself and landing lucrative projects. During a recent interview the actor spoke about how he was down and out due to alcohol and drugs and revealed his near-death experience due to an overdose.
During the interview given to a leading daily, Prateik spoke about his career and its trajectory and said, “Frankly, I was unaware of the earlier stage of my career, as far as the amount of success I had and how much attention I was getting, were concerned. I never understood or realised it till I fell so hard that I thought getting back up was never going to be possible. I guess I was coming to terms with my own life situation and circumstances. I was battling with myself; it felt like they show in cartoons--there were an angel and devil on either side of my mind. The drugs and alcohol didn’t help; in fact they just made it worse. I had lost everything and was close to killing myself. The devil kept telling me that I was finished, that it was all over, and that I should run away or rather maybe kill myself. I didn’t really understand the need for my existence, and constantly had a feeling that no one cared for me. On the other side, the angel kept telling me that I was put on this world for a mission.”
When asked how he handled himself, Prateik said, “I couldn’t actually. I had to learn it the hard way. I had mentioned in my open letter that I had an overdose and almost died. That woke me up a little bit. Then, I lost my grandmother too, which was very very difficult, yet, I tried to stay motivated. When I understood things, I realised how much I missed being an artiste, a performer, and an actor. That being said, I found the courage by drowning myself in a creative space.”
He credited martial arts for helping him regain his focus on life and career and said, “I am a lot better; a lot of things have changed in my life. I have kept myself engaged with a lot of things that have helped me be rock solid. Martial arts has helped me a lot. I owe my life, sanity, and strength to martial arts, which helps me be active and become the best version of myself. I am just focusing on myself and on how I can be the best version or version of myself so that I can look at myself in the mirror and say that I believe in myself, and won’t ever stop. I am in a very good state emotionally, mentally, and physically, and I want nothing more in my life. The angel won and here we are.”
(Source: TOI)
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