Kushal Punjabi Suicide: TV Celebs Vivian Dsena, Jasmin Bhasin, Shashank Vyas, And Others Speak Up About Depression
TV actor Kushal Punjabi's suicide shook the entire industry. The actor, who has worked in many TV shows and films, was found dead at his Bandra apartment. Whether stars are in front of the camera or when they post on their social media- their lives are often considered as an epitome of all things glamorous, glitzy and sparkling. Post the incident, here’s what TV celebs like Himanshu Malhotra, Jasmin Bhasin, Shashank Vyas, and others have to say about depression.
TV actor Kushal Punjabi's suicide shook the entire industry. The actor, who has worked in many TV shows and films, was found dead at his Bandra apartment. Later, it was revealed that he hung himself and took his own life after battling depression. A suicide note was found near the body in which he did not blame anyone for his decision of taking the drastic step. Every now and then we see one or the other celeb coming with their story of decision.
Whether stars are in front of the camera or when they post on their social media- their lives are often considered as an epitome of all things glamorous, glitzy and sparkling. Anxiety leads to depression and at times ends with suicide. And here’s what TV celebs like Himanshu Malhotra, Jasmin Bhasin, Shashank Vyas, and others have to say about the depression. (ALSO READ: Kushal Punjabi Suicide: Late Actor's Ex-Girlfriend Meghna Naidu Sends Condolences To His Family- EXCLUSIVE)
Himanshu Malhotra: Anxiety does lead to depression, stress, leads to panic attacks, leads to suicidal. Unfortunately in a fraternity-like ours which is completely glitz and glamour, we forget that a lot of times we do smile for the camera. We are constantly under the pressure of judgment by people, audience, by everyone because acting as it is is a performing art and you only get appreciation once you perform well. And if you are not getting work, if you're not visible anywhere, then people keep asking you what you are doing. They keep telling you that it's not a stable profession. So all these things do create a lot of confusion in everyone's mind and you forget that there is a thin line between sanity and insanity and all those things which lead to stress, anxiety starts coming to you. You start overthinking a lot, you start putting on a facade, you start living a schizophrenic life where you are smiling in front of the camera, fellow friends, in front of film fraternity people but internally, you are depressed, and you don't know how to handle it. So all these things will definitely create issues and unfortunately, then it leads to the commitment of suicide. All I just want to say is that just be real, try and not put on a facade, try and not be shallow in your thinking towards life, acting and career is just one part of your life. There are so many things that an actor or any other human being can do for their living and survival.
Vivian Dsena: It's not only acting today, in today's time, everybody's life is getting so virtual. There is so much peer pressure on uploading everything on social media. I think the way to deal with this kind of thing is to stay away from these things as much as possible. As far as insecurities are concerned, insecurities are in every job today. The way the corporates are failing, the way the companies are shutting, I think more than our industry, the corporates are going through insecurities. But still, the way to deal with this thing is positivity and looking at the good things you've achieved in life. It's as simple as that. Look at yourself, where were you five years back, where are you today? If you made graduation for yourself there is no reason for you to be sad or depressed.
Jasmin Bhasin: It is also true that working in showbiz comes with a lot of anxiety, depression, and insecurities because it's a cruel and ugly fact that you are treated according to your success in this industry. It's a little bit of a mean world. So you will not always be treated nicely if you are not doing well. Somewhere people have lost that little bit of humanity and love. This leads to depression and insecurities and ultimately suicide. But I don't think suicide is the solution. Whenever there are lows in life, we need to figure the solution as to why are we facing these lows and what is the reason behind them and we should give it our best because we need to fight. We are survivors and we are not supposed to give up in life.
Shweta Rohira: The sad part in today’s world is that not only actors but a lot of people are going into depression and I personally feel the root cause of all this is insecurities, competition. We all are running in a race and the best solution to all this is that we don’t follow people and compare our lives to others. We shall live one day at a time with contentment and follow quotes and authors that help us to be positive and happy and help us to be strong and sail through all the spheres of our life and enjoy it.
Shashank Vyas: Not only in acting, everyone is going through depression. No problem is bigger than life. One should not be serious about anything. If something happens, it's part of life. Life is vast and has many other aspect to it. Developing a hobby and getting connected to spirituality helps a lot. Connected with family and close friends is very essential.
Rehaan Roy: An actor's life is not easy. It’s not as glamorous as it looks like. It takes a huge amount of hard work and dedication to survive as an actor. Even after that, there is no assurance of success. It’s a very very competitive profession. In this profession, there’s no place for weakness. However, we all have weaknesses and we must accept it. And if we don’t, then often we become victims of depression. I feel to avoid such a situation, an actor must create his personal space. We must find some people who will treat us as who we are and not on the basis of our success or failure. I personally have my own set of people who know me for ages and they treat me the same as they used to treat me 10 years back. I call these people my inner circle. This includes my parents, a few friends, and my pet. We must understand that ups and downs are part of our lives. We must trust the process. And the most important thing that we must learn is no matter what, never kill yourself find out someone to talk to and share your heart out because life is beautiful.
Vijayendra Kumeria: That's true that looking at actors one cannot judge what's going on in there minds. When we hear such saddening news of actors ending their lives, we realize that all that we see is not always true. But I think as an actor one should try and focus more on mental health and try and be strong optimistic and practical in life. One should speak to one's friends or family if something is eating one up from within. Talking about depression is not a taboo any more so if one thinks one requires some help one should not shy away from being open about it.
Amal Sehrawat: Depression is the epidemic of this generation, and the main reasons behind it are emotional loneliness and perception where mostly everyone has kept their self worth in materialistic things. As a result, everyone is seeking happiness outside and this process is creating a big void inside. Don't forget that man is a social animal, so it's extremely important to come out in open and speak to your family and friends about what and how you feel and if required be open to taking medical help. Acting is a seasonal job so in my opinion, every actor must have an alternate source of income to maintain balance and smoothness.
Rahul Sharma: The industry is all about glamour and glittery. It's about having a shiny life on Instagram. But the fact is that the time it takes is sitting at home and waiting for work gets so disturbing that sometimes it can kill you instantly and that's what happens with these suicide cases. So the first thing that you should do when this kind of thought comes in your mind is that you should just avoid that particular thought because it's just for that moment that it seems like this is the end of the world, now nothing can happen. I think if there is a problem, there is a solution. But if the negative thoughts are coming and you are feeling very low and you're getting these suicidal thoughts, you should just go and talk to somebody who is close to you. Life is unpredictable. So, whenever you are earning money, rather than spending it on expensive things, or expensive cars or other kinds of materialistic things out there, you should avoid those kinds of liabilities and try and save it.
Images Source: instagram/kushalpunjabi
