Prateik Smita Patil, the son of late actress Smita Patil and veteran actor Raj Babbar, has recently shared a candid account of his past struggles with drug addiction and how it led to his expulsion from Subhash Ghai's Whistling Woods International film school. In a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble, the actor reflected on the impact of substance abuse on his personal and professional life, expressing deep regret for the choices he made during that turbulent period.
Patil, who debuted in the 2008 film "Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na" at the age of 22, revealed that he enrolled in Whistling Woods International after completing the film. However, his addiction soon led to a downfall, resulting in his expulsion from the institute within two years. He admitted to making "very bad choices" and giving in to his weakness for alcohol and substance abuse. "I won't say I could have done anything differently because I was going through something since a very young age," he explained. "I made the choice of getting into alcohol and substance abuse again. I gave into my weakness. I had valid reasons, if I may. Things were far more complicated than it sounds when we talk about it now".
The actor described himself as a "troubled soul" during that period, confessing that he had become a "raging addict". He expressed remorse for the pain he caused his maternal grandparents, who raised him after his mother's death during childbirth. "The grandparents saw the worst of me in those last few years," Patil shared. "I was a raging addict. My grandmother died seeing me an addict. That's something I regret. I wish she could see the man I have become today".
Patil also recounted being expelled from every school and college he attended due to his drug use. "I shot 'Jaane Tu' and then I went to Whistling Woods," he recalled. "I was studying a little bit here and there. There was a kind of slump as I didn't know what I was doing. I was there for about 2 years and then I was thrown out of Whistling Woods for doing drugs. Now that I think about it, it is funny. I got thrown out of every school and college I went into. I was a menace".
Despite the struggles, Patil has shown commitment to his craft. He appeared in "Sikandar" alongside Salman Khan and "Dhoom Dham" with Yami Gautam and Pratik Gandhi. While his journey was filled with painful mistakes, Prateik's story now carries a message of growth and healing.
