Smita Patil was a very talented actress in the Hindi and Marathi cinema. She was a genuine actress who performed very naturally on the screen. She was such a fine actress, much better than Shabana Azmi or any other lady at that time. You hardly ever cared how she looked, because everybody took her as a serious performer.
Time really does fly away and this year on the 13th of Dec, her 25th death anniversary will be held. For all these years, her family quietly organized a small pooja in which only the family participated. But this year an elaborate pooja will be held because it has been 25 years since the great actress left this world. Smita Patil died in 1986 due to complications in the delivery of her son.
Her son, Prateik marked his debut in 2008 in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa and his next film is the much talked about Kiran Rao's Dhobi Ghaat. He was only 15 days old when Smita Patil passed away. He was raised by his grandparents and maasis mostly. He has already been recognized for his first film and received several awards.
Smita Patel was considered the best actress for India's parallel cinema along with Shabana Azmi. She entertained audiences for many years but when she got romantically involved with actor Raj Babbar, the same media turned against her and made her life miserable by calling her a home breaker. Raj Babbar did leave his wife and marry Smita Patel. Prateik is their from their short lived marriage.
