Actor Aarya Babbar has spoken openly about his father Raj Babbar's relationship with the late actress Smita Patil. In a recent interview, he acknowledged that while this chapter once caused pain to the family, those involved have long since moved on. Raj Babbar was married to theatre personality Nadira Babbar when he fell in love with Smita Patil. Together, Raj and Nadira have two children, Aarya and Juhi, while Raj and Smita welcomed their son Prateik Babbar. Smita passed away in 1986 shortly after giving birth, and Raj eventually reunited with Nadira.
Reflections on Childhood
Aarya reflected on his childhood during the period when his father's personal life became a topic of public discussion. 'I was only three or four years old then, so I do not remember what exactly was happening at home when Smita maa came into my father's life,' Aarya said. 'People often ask me how I feel about it, but there is not much to say now. Even today, everyone is still carrying those emotions,' he added in an interview with Vickey Lalwani. He noted that despite everything Raj Babbar and the family achieved over the years, public attention remained fixed on that one aspect of their lives.
Moving On from the Past
'Today, I am 44 years old. This happened when I was four or five. My father accomplished a lot in life after that, and so did our family. But somehow, the biggest thing that remained attached to our lives was that my father had an affair, fell in love, and gave dignity to that relationship. That became the defining issue of our lives. This should not happen. We have all moved on from it, and because we have moved on, everyone else should move on too,' he said. Aarya acknowledged that no child would be comfortable hearing conversations about a parent's affair, but added that he no longer carries resentment. 'Which child would like hearing that their father had an affair? But it happened, and it is okay now. Papa moved on too, he had another affair,' he joked. 'You should not carry so much emotional baggage about everything in life.'
On Rumoured Association with Rekha
When questioned about Raj Babbar's rumoured association with Rekha, Aarya responded carefully. 'If you are asking me if he was attracted towards Rekha, she is so beautiful, who will not get attracted? Won't you feel attracted? I would feel attracted. So if he felt attracted, he felt attracted. It's human. What's wrong in that?'
Living Arrangements and Respect for Smita Patil
Recalling that phase in their lives, Aarya shared that Raj Babbar had temporarily moved out and was living with Smita Patil. 'He had moved out of the house and was staying with Smita maa. In fact, he bought the Rock Cliff house, where Prateik lives now,' he said. Asked whether Raj Babbar had formally ended his marriage with Nadira Babbar during that period, Aarya declined to discuss details, saying he wanted to be respectful toward Prateik and Smita Patil's memory. 'I have never had that conversation with him, and out of respect for my younger brother, I would not want to talk about it because I am talking about someone's mother. I call her Smita maa. If I am calling her 'maa', then I give her that respect because my father gave her that love and respect. And I will always give Smita maa that same respect and love,' he said.
Calling Smita Patil 'Maa'
Aarya also recalled the moment he decided to begin calling Smita Patil 'maa.' 'When Prateik and I were both in our twenties, I noticed that he called my mother 'maa'. I felt that if my younger brother could give my mother that respect, then as his elder brother, I should also give his mother the same respect. That was the day I decided I would call Smita maa, maa.'
Raj Babbar's Return to the Family
Speaking about Raj Babbar's eventual return to the family, Aarya said it happened years after Smita Patil's death. 'It happened when Papa built a bungalow in Juhu and invited us to come live there. I was around nine or ten years old then. Smita ji had passed away much earlier, when I was about five,' he said. Aarya further shared that he never blamed his father for stepping away for some time after experiencing such a profound loss. 'If you are deeply, emotionally and mentally invested in someone, and life plays such a cruel joke that you lose them, imagine what that person must have gone through,' he said. 'He probably needed time alone to understand himself and think about his life. He stayed alone during that period. We lived only five minutes away. He had made a place for himself in his office and stayed there for a few years. He kept visiting us and staying with us too.'
Smita Patil died at 31 due to complications following childbirth. She gave birth to Prateik Babbar on November 28, 1986, and passed away on December 13 that year.
