Prateik Babbar is working towards aiding addicts, survivors regain their self-worth with acceptance, shared experience.
Prateik Babbar's life story is the stuff of Bollywood lore, starting with his actress-mother Smita Patil whom he lost within days of his birth and his tenuous relationship with dad Raj Babbar, to his dalliances in wonderland and a downward spiral fueled by a battle with drugs over the last five years. Now, he returns to the arclights with two big ticket projects, Baaghi 2 and Mulk. Sounding upbeat, the 30-year-old actor describes 2017 as a "super kind year, and is grateful to directors Ahmed Khan and Anubhav Sinha for giving him work when he was trying to re-establish himself in the film industry. "I will always be indebted to those who helped me become the son my mother would have wanted to see, he says.
Touching on the phase when he was into substance abuse, Prateik insists that there is no one but himself to blame for the addiction. "I'm still on the road to recovery but I'm proud to have turned over a new leaf. Substance abuse is like a bad marriage, even after you quit, it haunts you for a while till people start noticing the turnaround, he points out, quick to add that his decision wasn't influenced by what others were thinking or saying, but was purely personal. "I'm answerable to only my conscience. And yes, people take me more seriously now that I'm no longer the hippie rave but someone committed to fitness, auditions and family.
Talking of family, his only regret is that his maternal grandfather Shivajirao Girdhar Patil, who passed away recently, isn't around to see him through his detox. But that has only made him more determined and he's set timetables and deadlines as he works towards selfimprovement. Prateik has plans to start a welfare center for those grappling with drugs and depression. He's also working on a video, Blush: Dil Se Azad, which celebrates his survival' and works towards breaking the taboos and stigmas attached to addiction.
"Addiction is not a moral failing, it does not make you a bad person even if you have made a poor choice. People still think I got hooked because it was cool' for a celebrity to indulge in recreational drugs. But for me, it was more of an escape from reality. My childhood was complicated and there were a lot of questions I didn't have answers to so I looked elsewhere for solace, confides the actor who wishes his grandfather whom he calls godfather' could have seen this video. "There are things I have spoken about which I didn't have the guts to address with him directly.
He acknowledges that many makers approached him to make documentaries and short films on his life before and after the substance abuse but he finally gave the nod to this video because he saw a sense of direction in the team. "It's a sensitive topic and if you don't get it right at the first go, you can mess up things, cautions Prateik, who believes he can help others by accepting their ailment' and speaking to them about his experiences. "Acceptance and speaking up can help change the face of addiction. It educates those who are ailing and tells others that the stereotype of people suffering is the exception rather than the rule. Acceptance is one of the first steps to recovery.
He is also non-judgmental on the issue. "I'm a fighter and criticism is not an option for me. Yes, one is entitled to his/her opinion and it's human to be judgmental but everyone deserves a second chance. The idea is to move on, he asserts, saying that he wants to inspire survivors and those still in the grips of the disease' by reinforcing that most success stories are an outcome of struggle. "I want to create awareness by showcasing the boy uninterrupted so the world doesn't get to see just one side of the story.
Meanwhile, Prateik is completely focused on his career, putting in two hours at the gym every day and reading close to 15 scripts every month, besides meeting producers, casting agents and directors. "I'm looking for quality work and am not embarrassed to go out and ask for it. I'm also doing a lot of theatre with Jeff Goldberg because I believe it polishes your acting skills, he says.
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