New Delhi: New Delhi: Prateik Babbar has always been rooted in the film industry, thanks to his actor parents, Smita Patil and Raj Babbar. He got his start in the industry as a production assistant and broke into acting in 2008 with ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’. As he went through his career, he made some poor choices that cost him losing ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ and other projects.
In an interview with The Times of India, Prateik Babbar said that the biographical sports drama film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag had him cast as the lead. He said that playing Milkha Singh was a "locked" part for him.
"I remember Ranveer Singh walked out of the audition room, and I walked in," he remembered, transporting himself back in time. The actor also said that he had begun reading with screenwriter Prasoon Joshi and that director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra paid him a visit when he was filming Aarakshan in Udaipur.
He added, “They just stopped the audition as they found what they were looking for.”
He said, “When it came to locking the commercials, my then-manager told me they would handle it. I was 23 years old, I didn’t know what to talk about money. But my agency ghosted them. Three weeks later I found out Farhan Akhtar was doing it. I am still disappointed.”
During the same interview, Prateik discussed how the unjustness of the profession and his struggles with substance misuse affected his acting career. The films were cancelled when he resorted to self-destructive behaviour because he was unable to do his lines or appear on set.
'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,' based on the life of Olympian and "Flying Sikh" runner Milkha Singh, was released in 2013.
ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut Backs Smriti Irani's Statement On Paid Menstrual Leave Policy For Women