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‘There’s a lot of stigma attached to love’ – Deepika Padukone
Career-wise, Deepika Padukone is at her peak and is one of Bollywood’s most accomplished actresses but that didn’t deter her from revealing that she has been suffering from depression. The 29-year-old actress had confessed that she was trying to avoid her situation by focusing more on her work, but in the end broke down in front of her mother, Ujjala and went on to seek professional help. Drawing from her own experiences, the actress launched her NGO, 'Live Laugh Love' and among many other things, she spoke about Bollywood and the stigma of depression. Excerpts from the interaction:
You have chosen a rare path because you are in the public eye all the time, there could be this fear of people calling you a dramebaaz or these cynical theories would have gone around like - ‘maybe she is doing it to promote a film...’ Did you think about all this before you opened up? What were your thoughts before you decided to talk about depression?
I am asked this question very often. I remember I was sitting by the poolside with my business agent and I told him that I feel like talking about my depression. He could have reacted saying, ‘Are you crazy? You are bound by contracts, nobody will sign you, who will work with you...?’ But instead, he said, ‘Ya, great, you should’. That was the friend in him talking to me. I asked my parents and they have always been extremely supportive of me. My mother noticed the first signs. So there was no real thought as to what will people think, what will they say, what will happen to me or my career...
Has depression, going through it and emerging out of it changed you as a person?
I think it has. I wouldn’t get into the details of it because it is a larger conversation. A lot of experiences we go through in life makes you learn something from it and it makes you a better person. I am a very sensitive person and this experience has definitely made me even more sensitive. It has made me more aware of the signs and symptoms among those who might be experiencing it. You will be surprised to know how people around me, after a little bit of prodding, opened up.
Are the denizens of Bollywood more prone to depression?
I don’t think mental health or illness has anything to with any specific industry. It can happen to anybody and we all have to realise that beyond just the baggage we carry of being so and so, we are all at some point stripped down to being human beings at the end of the day. In very simple terms, it can happen to anybody. It doesn’t matter what your economic status is or what your profession is.
In this commercial world of Bollywood, do you think a movie on the subject of mental health can be made and if yes, would you like to act in it?
I think if dealt with correctly a good movie can be made. In the West, many movies have been made. For example, 'Still Alice' deals with Alzheimers. So if something is dealt with sensitively and correctly then why not.
Finally, you spoke about destigmatising mental illness. There seems to be stigma attached to love especially when it comes to Bollywood celebrities. What’s your take?
(Smiles) Yes. There is a lot of stigma attached to love as well.
