Prateik Patil Babbar spoke to Brut about being a film geek, his passion for acting and the important role his mother still plays in his life. Brut is the official media partner of the Cannes Film Festival. #Cannes2024
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00:00I think for me it's extremely personal because I'm going to get to see her poster, her face,
00:06at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, 37 years after her demise.
00:10I'm here proudly representing her.
00:12It's not just about her, it's about the film, it's about Mr. Shyam Benegal, it's about all
00:32the other actors in the film, it's about the entire unit, it's about the 500 farmers, 500,000
00:37that pitched in two rupees and crowdfunded this remarkable film.
00:45I would love to play Naseer Sajjad's role. I think Alia, Alia Bhatt,
00:49is a performer by excellence. I think Alia would be a great choice.
00:57I have been told in my career that I remind people of my mother and her performances,
01:01but I do not take that for granted. I don't feel like,
01:05oh, I had a great mother who was a great actress, so I'm, you know, it's just born,
01:10I'm just born with it. No, absolutely not. I don't believe that. I do believe that I have to
01:15work even harder. I am an absolute film geek, if I may. I'm obsessed with watching films and shows
01:21and actors and actresses and studying them and studying the craft. I absolutely live for my
01:26dad to say, Prateek, what a shot. A little bit of that comes from my mother because I've seen her
01:33work. I mean, not physically, but in her films, she was the character. She was all those characters.
01:40There wasn't a time you could say, this is Smita Patil on screen.
01:47I think my decision to come clean about my addiction was something that I needed to get
01:52off my chest. I think it was important for me to speak my truth and it was important for people to
01:58understand their truth. I had been battling addiction since I was 13 years old and
02:06in and out of rehab and stuff like that. But yes, you know, turned a new leaf and I am
02:15eight and a half years sober now. I feel like on top of the world, absolutely. I feel like I can
02:21overcome anything. If I can overcome addiction and if I can overcome
02:26being in the darkest bit, I hit rock bottom. And the fact that I climbed up on my own really
02:35gives me strength and belief that I can overcome anything and everything. I just have to put my mind to it.
02:45I encourage everybody, whoever is going through any kind of battle, not only addiction, any kind of
02:50personal battle, I think it's important to speak your truth and it's important to
02:55seek help. It's important to have support of your loved ones and your family.
03:03I am your finest example. It has made me a stronger person today, speaking my truth
03:07and confiding in the people I need to and getting acceptance.