Juhi Babbar addressed her bond with Prateik Babbar, saying she never had to “accept” him as her brother.
Prateik Babbar’s half-sister Juhi Babbar opens up about their equation.
Prateik Babbar and Priya Banerjee tied the knot on February 14, but the absence of his father, veteran actor Raj Babbar, and half-siblings at the wedding has fuelled speculation about a family rift. Arya Babbar recently revealed that none of the Babbars were invited, leaving many wondering about Prateik’s relationship with his paternal family.
Prateik is the son of Raj Babbar and the late Smita Patil. Raj married Smita while still married to Nadira Babbar, with whom he has two children—Juhi and Arya Babbar. Although Prateik has been seen with his half-siblings and father on various occasions, his decision to exclude them from his wedding has puzzled many.
Amid this speculation, a past interview of Juhi Babbar discussing her bond with Prateik has resurfaced. In a conversation with Lehren Retro, she was asked if accepting Prateik as her brother was a natural process for her. Reacting to the question, she said, “Accepting yeh word hai hi nahi. Woh kya hota hai? Matlab, Prateik mera bhai hai toh mera bhai hai. Jhijhak kaise kya? Yeh fact duniya mein koi nahi badal sakta. (What do you mean by accepting? There’s nothing like accepting. Prateik is my brother, and this fact can never be changed by anyone).”
Juhi further elaborated on their bond, saying, “He’s there all the time. He’s there on Diwali, Eid, birthdays.” Her remarks indicate that despite their unconventional family dynamics, she has always embraced Prateik as part of the family.
Juhi also addressed Prateik’s decision to add his mother’s surname, Patil, to his name, revealing that he took inspiration from her. “He’s been wanting to do that for a very long time. He’s added Patil. In school, he was Prateik Smit Babbar. It sounded Christian and caused confusion. So, when he joined movies, he became Prateik Babbar. Now he is Prateik Patil Babbar, and guess where the inspiration comes from? It comes from Juhi Babbar Soni. Because my son Imaan is Imaan Babbar Soni. He took time, and I’m so happy he’s done this,” she said.
While Juhi has expressed warmth toward Prateik, his decision to not invite his family to his wedding has left many questioning where things stand between them.
