Prateik Babbar and Priya Banerjee's wedding stirred up quite a bit of chatter, especially with rumors flying about Prateik's father, actor-politician Raj Babbar, and the rest of the Babbar family not being part of the festivities. The couple has finally addressed the situation, admitting that things are a bit complicated. Prateik has also decided to change his name again, now going by ‘Prateik Smita Patil.’

While they chose not to go into detail right now, they did suggest that Prateik will share more about the situation when he feels ready. In a chat with The Times of India, Priya also claimed that Raj hasn't been supportive of Prateik.

Prateik and Priya speak out about being overlooked by family at their wedding

When Prateik was asked why the Babbar family wasn't present, Priya jumped in, saying, "No, we really don’t want to discuss that. It’s not our place to do so. Everything is out there online. People can look back at old articles and see what happened in the past before making careless comments that could ruin someone’s special day. No one has the right to say anything about it. If Prateik or I choose to remain silent, it’s out of respect and dignity. That’s all there is to it. We’re happy and don’t want to dive into this topic because there’s nothing to change. There was never anything significant there. So, I’m puzzled when people say, ‘You did this to someone.’ But that family was never involved, and that person (referring to Raj Babbar) was never part of his life. I don’t understand why this question is coming up now, 30 years later.”

Earlier, Prateik had shared his wish to mend things with his family. In a recent interview, he mentioned, "When the time is right, I’ll talk about it. For now, let’s just leave it as it is. It’s a bit complicated... really complicated at the moment. As Priya said, when I’m ready to discuss things I haven’t talked about before, it will help clear the air, not just for me, but for everyone, including that family.”

Priya also stood up for Prateik’s choice to keep family matters private, highlighting his traumatic experience of losing his mother when he was just “two weeks old.” She questioned why others felt entitled to comment on his life.

They both expressed that they weren’t bothered by the rumors and were focused on their happiness moving forward.

Prateik's latest moniker

The actor has decided to go by Prateik Smita Patil, honoring his late mother and stepping away from his father's name. He’s not concerned about any potential challenges this change might bring. “I’m not focused on that at all. My priority is what brings me joy and peace, not whether this will hurt my career. The consequences don’t matter to me. What truly matters is how I feel when I hear that name. I want to be completely connected to my mother (Smita Patil), her name, and her legacy. I believe no other name should overshadow that legacy, if you catch my drift. It should solely represent her and what she stood for. That’s my goal—to embody my mother, not my father. It feels like I’m starting a fresh chapter.”

Details about the couple

Prateik recently exchanged vows with his long-time girlfriend and fellow actor Priya Banerjee in a cozy wedding ceremony on February 14. The event took place at his late mother, actress Smita Patil’s home in Bandra, Mumbai, surrounded by close friends and family. The couple shared a collection of beautiful photos from their special day on social media, captioning it, “I’ll marry you in every lifetime #priyaKAprateik.”

Before this, Prateik was married to Sanya Sagar, with whom he tied the knot in January 2019. They officially divorced in January 2023. He made his relationship with Priya public on Instagram on Valentine’s Day 2023.

Read Also: Meet India's Richest Comedian: With a Net Worth of ₹500 Crore, He Outshines Even Ranbir Kapoor

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON!