Late actress, Smita Patil's live-in relationship and marriage with Raj Babbar were heavily criticised then. Not only that, but Smita's mother was also strongly against it.
Legendary actress, Smita Patil is one of the finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema. She appeared in over 80 films in several languages, in a career which spanned over just a decade. However, the actress had already left for the heavenly abode due to childbirth complications (Puerperal sepsis) on December 13, 1986, at the mere age of 31 years. For the unversed, she was married to Bollywood actor, Raj Babbar and together they were blessed with a son, Prateik Babbar.
Talking about her super-stardom, apart from her stunning acting career, Smita Patil always used to be in the headlines then for her relationship with an already married man, Raj Babbar. For the unversed, when Raj and Smita fell for each other, he was married to his first wife, Nadira. However, multiple reports claimed that Raj and Smita soon started living in a live-in relationship, which was criticised a lot. Not only that but after some time, Smita and Raj also got married.
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However, as per many reports, Smita's parents were not at all happy with her decision to be in a relationship with Raj. According to Smita Patil's biography, Smita Patil: A Brief Incandescence written by prolific writer, Maithili Rao, the actress' mother, Vidyatai Patil was against their relationship. The latter had also asked Smita how she could become a home-breaker when she was herself a feminist and used to fight for women's rights. Later, when Smita's relationship with Raj hit the rough patch, and her health had also deteriorated, her mother felt extremely sad that the actress didn't listen to her initially.
Image courtesy: Smita Patil: A Brief Incandescence
When Raj Babbar and Nadira Zaheer got married in the year 1975, neither of them was established in their careers. Thus, they were living in a single room in Nadira’s mother's apartment in Delhi. In 1976, they were blessed with their first child, Juhi Babbar. But due to a lack of financial stability, Raj soon had to leave Nadira in her mother's house and went to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting. And by 1979, when situation became better, Nadira shifted to Mumbai. In 1981, the couple was blessed with their second child, Arya Babbar.
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Raj and Nadira's paradise was disturbed when the actor met Smita on the sets of Bheegi Raatein in 1982. Soon, love blossomed between Raj and Smita. In an interview, the actor also clearly mentioned that his relationship with Smita was not due to problems in his marriage with Nadira. Instead, he called his first wife mature and elaborated how their daughter, Juhi was also close with his second wife, Smita. In his words:
“I met her for the first time in Rourkela in Orissa, where we had gone to shoot Satish Misra’s film Bheegi Palken. Our first meeting ended in a sort of clash – a sweet clash that laid the foundation of a relationship later. I was impressed by her from the word go. My relationship with Smita was not the result of problems with Nadira – it just happened. Nadira was mature enough to understand my feelings. Juhi always loved being with Smita”.
But as destiny had some different plans for Smita and Raj, soon after their marriage, a sense of discord started growing between them. When Smita gave birth to their son, Prateik, she went through a very difficult phase during delivery. This is when her health deteriorated, and she left the mortal planes just 15 days after Prateik's birth. However, when her health was worsening, she had told her make-up artist, Deepak Sawant about her last wish to deck her up as a dulhan after her demise. He did so, and Smita was dressed as a bride ahead of her last rites. Indeed, the moment was heart-wrenching for her millions of fans.
Well, the legendary actress, Smita Patil has twice won the National Film Awards for the Best Actress in 1977 for the film, Bhumika and in 1980 for the movie, Chakra, amongst many other awards and accolades.
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