Prateik Babbar and Priya Banerjee tied the knot in an intimate wedding on Valentine’s Day ( February 14). The couple, who had been in a long-term relationship, exchanged vows at Prateik’s late mother Smita Patil’s residence in Bandra, Mumbai. However, a notable absence at the ceremony was Prateik’s father, veteran actor Raj Babbar, along with his half-siblings, Arya Babbar and Juhi Babbar.
Arya Babbar recently addressed this in a video shared on Instagram, where he shed light on Raj Babbar’s response to not being invited. In the video, Arya humorously recalled his father’s reaction, stating, “Main bolta hoon papa lekin agar media wale kal poochenge – jaise bachpan mein poochte the aapko kaisa lag raha hai aapke papa ka affair chal raha hai – aapko kaisa lag raha hai aapki bhai ki shaadi hai aur aap nahi ja rahe?” (I say, Papa, but if the media asks tomorrow – just like they used to ask in childhood, ‘How do you feel about your father having an affair?’ – ‘How do you feel about your brother getting married and you not being there?’).
Arya sarcastically remarked that when he asked his father how to respond to the media, Raj casually replied that men keep getting married and it wasn’t a big deal. “Mard toh shaadi karte rehte hain” he shared.
The video, part of Arya’s stand-up comedy set, was originally posted on YouTube. Taking a jibe at Prateik’s second marriage, Arya quipped, “My dad married twice, Prateik has married twice, even my dog has two girlfriends.”
Arya expressed his personal disappointment in an old interview, admitting he was puzzled by the exclusion. He believed he shared a close bond with Prateik and suggested that external influences might be causing his brother to drift away from their family.
Prateik Babbar is the son of the late actress Smita Patil and actor Raj Babbar. The duo met on the sets of their 1982 film Bheegi Palkein, leading Raj to leave his first wife, Nadira Babbar, and marry Smita. Tragically, Smita Patil passed away at the young age of 31 due to childbirth complications in November 1986. Following her demise, Raj Babbar and Nadira reunited and had two children, Arya and Juhi Babbar.