I was not a good guy, but now I want to be: Prateik Babbar

Prateik Babbar looks comfortable and composed as I walk in to have a chat with him. He looks unperturbed about my delayed arrival, and accepts the apologies with a smile. “It’s a thing of the past,” he says.

The actor has been through a gruelling time, dealing with substance abuse that alienated him from the film fraternity for over a couple of years. But that too is a thing of the past. “It’s a new page for me,” the Dhobhi Ghat actor says. “I have a new avatar, a healthier mind and body and I hope to be a good human being and an actor.”

The actor who has been away from the limelight since his last release in 2013, Issaq, says that he’s trying to get better by learning acting in depth. “I study my craft for about 3-4 hours a day, pick up scenes and rehearse. I am also reaching out to filmmakers — I’ve spoken to many including Imtiaz Ali and Tigmanshu Dhulia.”

As he relaxes more into the conversation, he continues. “Now, it’s all about getting fit and being able to work 20 hours, something I couldn’t do because of my substance abuse.” Does he ever tempted to fall into old habits “Not anymore,” says Prateik sternly. “The change was sparked by the downfall I saw in my career and in myself. Now if I slip it’s over. I’m rock solid, nothing can move me now. I’m unbreakable and it’s a beautiful feeling.”

Prateik lapses into the past as he talks about all that went wrong. “I did a lot of wrong but I also couldn’t let my mother’s legacy down,” he says talking about the legendary actress Smita Patil. “It started when I was 13, probably because of my broken family. I was in and out of rehab. I needed a go-to person. I was clean for two-and-a-half years because of a girl I dated. She broke up with me and then Amy (Jackson, actress) broke up with me too.”

The actor was further shattered when his grandmother, (Smita’s mother), passed away. “I was terribly addicted when she passed away and I’m never going to forgive myself for it. She would’ve been happy to see me now,” he says. Almost murmuring, Prateik adds, “The guilt actually killed me, I was lying to my family, friends and fans. I told myself that I must tell everyone that I was lying, I was not a good guy but now I want to be.”

Prateik now shares a better equation with his father Raj Babbar and his family too. “I bridged that gap.” Speaking of his equation with Raj’s wife Nadira Babbar, he adds, “She knows I am not her son and I know she is not my mother. But we joke, we talk to each other like actors. It’s fun and normal.”

Despite the reconciliation with Raj, Prateik says that he’ll probably have issues with him for the rest of his life. “Now is not the time to address those problems though. He’s the only biological parent I have and I don’t wish to cause any complications. I need his support right now. Now is the time to love him, make him proud and be there for each other.”

The actor’s eyes light up when we bring up alternative cinema. “Honestly, that is the space I am really attracted to. But again, I’m exploring. My mother made a mark in both commercial and parallel cinema and I want to be noticed everywhere — I’m hungry as an actor.”