Prateik Babbar dedicates his character in ‘India Lockdown’ to his late mother Smita Patil

Actor Prateik Babbar will be seen playing the role of a migrant worker in the upcoming film ‘India Lockdown’. Previously he has played the role of an urban guy in films and seeing him in a role like this has surprised the fans. Recently, Prateik along with co-star Sai Tamhankar opened up about how he sees the role that he is playing and the challenges they faced to get into the skin of the character. The actor also revealed that he played this role as a tribute to his mother, the late actor Smita Patil.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Prateik said that he felt connected to the character and felt a sense of responsibility while playing it. He said, ‘I was immediately invested because we know the kind of lives these people live. Our heart was already there. I won’t call it pity but it does feel bad to see them go through so many hardships. Both Sai and I were very invested in these characters. It’s a huge responsibility to represent this community. It was essential to present this bitter truth of their lives.’

Talking about accepting this role, he said, ‘I was also extremely invested because the first time I met Madhur sir, he said, ‘Prateik teri maa aise kirdaar nibhaati thi. Tu agar ye jee-jaan se karega to ye tribute ho sakta hai Smita Patil ko (your mother used to play such roles. If you do it with full honesty, it can be a tribute to Smita Patil)’. And I just said, when do we start? Every single day on set, I used to think about her. Every single day! Whatever the outcome of the film be, this character is dedicated to this community and my mother.’

The actor’s mother, Smita Patil, was considered one of the best actors in Hindi cinema. She was well-known for films like ‘Mandi, Manthan’, ‘Mirch Masala’ and many more.

Sai Tamhankar, who plays the role of a domestic help and Prateik’s wife in the film, talks about the hardships they had to face while shooting outdoors, and the challenges she faced to get into the character’s mind set.

‘India Lockdown’ also stars Shweta Basu Prasad, Aahana Kumra, and Prakash Belawadi in pivotal roles. The film will stream on Zee5 from December 2.

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