Bal Thackeray Age, Death Cause, Caste, Controversies, Biography, Wife, Family, Facts & More Some Lesser Known Facts About Bal Thackeray Did Bal Thackeray smoke?: Yes Did Bal Thackeray drink alcohol?: Yes His father, Keshav Thackeray, was a social reformer and journalist who was known as Prabodhankar because of his magazine Prabodhan.