Actor Prateik Babbar has officially changed his surname to his mother’s name. He is now Prateik Smita Patil. This comes after he recently tied the knot with Priya Banerjee. From the festivities, his father Raj Babbar and the other members of the Babbar family were absent. The actor did not invite them and this sparked several headlines about their fallout.

Prateik Babbar and Priya Banerjee exchanged vows in an intimate wedding ceremony on February 14, 2025. The festivities took place at Prateik’s late mother Smita Patil’s house in Mumbai. The absence of the Babbar family created a wave and now the couple has finally broken their silence.

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During a conversation with Times of India, the interviewer Prateik if he wanted to talk about not inviting his dad Raj Babbar to his wedding. Subsequently, Priya interjected, “No, absolutely not. We don’t want to talk about it. And it’s not our place. It’s all online. It’s all on the internet. Let people go back in the past and read some articles perhaps from back in the day and find out what went down in anybody’s life before passing a reckless comment which can affect somebody’s special day. Nobody has any right to say anything about it. If Prateik chooses to stay quiet, if I choose to stay quiet, that is actually out of respect and dignity. That’s it. We do not want to speak about this and get into detail because we’re happy.”

 

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A post shared by Priya Banerjee (@priyabanerjee)

Following this, the interviewer asked Prateik if his equation with his family would change. Priya said, “There is nothing to change. There was never anything there. So, I’m confused when people comment, ‘You did this to somebody’. But no, that family was never there, that person (hinting at Raj Babbar) was never there in his life. So, I’m not sure why that question is coming up now, 30 years later.”

She added, “Some people get limelight from talking about other people. You get a little bit of attention here and there when you talk about people. People will talk. We don’t have to hear it. We have to live our life.” She added, “We have to be happy. We don’t have to sit and justify to the entire world. We’re not here to answer anybody. Nobody pays our bills.”

Meanwhile, Prateik was reluctant to address the name change. However, he hinted he might open up on this subject soon when he’s more comfortable. Moreover, he admitted that changing his name to Prateik Smita Patil was a decision that made “his soul feel better and heart smile.”

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Following the news, a Reddit thread emerged where several users supported the actor. One user wrote, “I get it. Raj Babbar wasn’t always there and his less good looking and less successful brother kinda hates him. I forget his name as well…” another wrote.

Another added, “It’s so crazy to me how Smita Patil is still a bigger name than Raj Babbar, even after she’s been gone for nearly 40 years now. Shows how impactful and eternal her legacy is ..”