Prateik details his Bollywood struggle

Prateik Babbar started out in Bollywood as a promising young performer and despite being lost in the middle, the actor is still raring to go. The actor completes a decade in the industry this year and reflecting back, he says it was a roller-coster ride with its own share of ups and downs.

“It has been a fair bit of struggle, and a fair bit of celebration. Everyone has some sort of struggle. This is my struggle but I never gave up. The hunger helped me, I am hungry for work so I am here,” said Babbar.

“I have realised acting is my heartbeat and my lifeline. It’s been one hell of a roller-coaster ride. I am very fortunate for this phase I am in,” he added.

He was among those rare breed of actors who bagged a Filmfare Award for their debut film after he starred in 2008’s Jaane Tu. Ya Jaane Na, alongside another debutante Imran Khan.

A string of flops and his addiction to drugs had a damaging effect on his career but as he has overcome all these setbacks, Babbar believes he is a survivor and is a more evolved person now.

“Unfortunately, I was enslaved into all the wrong habits, so I couldn’t communicate and express. I didn’t have the mindset and resources. I actually started acting upon it in 2016 after my grandmother passed away,” said Babbar.

In his bid to resurrect his career, the actor approached his industry friends for work but they turned their back on him. Babbar says facing rejection was “heartbreaking” and “demotivating” but he was hopeful to get work.

The actor’s latest release is Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk, out now in the UAE, alongside Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu. In the film, he plays Shahid Mohammad, a misguided youth whose actions lead to devastating consequences for his family.