Never There: Why is Raj Babbar always missing from Smita’s functions? : Bollywood News

It has happened before on several occasions. Actor-parliamentarian Raj Babbar is hardly ever part of events to honour the memory of his legendary wife Smita Patil. Recently, a book on Smita by journalist Maithili Rao was released. While Smita and Raj's son Prateik attended along with many prominent admirers and friends of the actress Raj was conspicuous by his absence.

On Monday, the Smita Smriti Puraskar function, an event in Nagpur where unsung heroes are honoured every year, was attended by Smita's son Prateik but not Prateik's father Raj Babbar.

When I asked Raj Babbar the reason for his absence from the events for his wife he said with a shy laugh, "It's partly intentional and partly because I am not invited. But I am glad Prateik attends these events. They give him a chance to get to know his mother."