Raj Babbar left his wife, Nadira, to marry Smita Patil in 1983. His daughter Juhi Babbar has recalled the time in a new interview.
Actor Raj Babbar was already married and had two children when he began his relationship with fellow actor, Smita Patil. The affair and the ensuing marriage saw a lot of controversy, given how it began. Raj Babbar’s daughter, former actor Juhi Babbar, has now opened up on the time and how she came to know about the relationship when she was just 7 years old.

Juhi Babbar on Raj Babbar and Smita Patil

In an interview with Lehren Retro, Juhi recalled how Smita Patil made a conscious effort to connect with Raj’s two children – Juhi and her brother, Arya. “My father talked and explained his marriage with Smita Patil to me when I was barely seven years old, and that’s why my memories of Smita ji are very different. She went out of her way to do things for me. I think she also had this thing that we are the kids of the person who is most special to her, and so we are special to her as well. She would show us a lot of love, always bringing us gifts when she travelled, and she would ensure that at home, we were served the food that we liked. These small memories are nice, but unfortunately, there aren’t many memories,” she said.

Juhi said she was conflicted about her impression of Smita at the time because the actor was always nice to us, but she could see that the marriage had shaken up her own family, particularly her mother, Nadira. “As a child, I knew this is the lady my father wants to be with, and he wants to make her his wife. I could see Smita making an effort towards me and my little brother, but I also knew that this was disturbing the unit that used to be, and that my mother was unhappy about it. I had that understanding—that aunty (Smita) was being so good to me, but when I go home, I shouldn’t share this with my mother.”

Raj Babbar and Smita Patil’s marriage

Smita Patil and Raj Babbar met on the sets of their 1982 film Bheegi Palkein. Raj left Nadira to marry Smita the following year. Their son, actor Prateik Babbar, was born in November 1986. However, Smita Patil died soon after from childbirth complications at the age of 31. Raj Babbar got back together with Nadira a few years later.

Juhi Babbar made her film debut with Kash Aap Hamare Hote opposite Sonu Nigam in 2003. She worked in a handful of films over the next few years before taking a hiatus to do TV. In 2023, she returned to films with supporting roles in films like Faraaz and Farrey. She is married to actor Anup Soni.

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