The untimely death of the 37-year-old Indian film and television actor, Kushal Punjabi, brought shockwaves to the television fraternity. The news of his suicide and the fact that the ‘Kasam Se’ actor was going through depression brought to light the issue of mental health.
One of his close friends, actor Chetan Hansraj had also stated that Kushal committed suicide as ‘he was going through a separation from his wife and he was also down with a sickness.’ He further said that Kushal had also discussed with him that he was disturbed.
Many people also commented on how Kushal should have spoken about his depression. But actor Arjun Bijlani shockingly revealed why people, especially in the television industry, don’t openly talk about being in depression. “The industry is a very catch-22 situation.”
“You can’t open up because you feel then whatever little chance you have of getting work, you would lose it. People won’t give you work because they’ll think you’re depressed.”
“It’s a very weird situation for actors sometimes. They want to open up but they can’t, they don’t trust anybody, it’s a sad state actually,” Arjun said to Gulf News.
‘Ishq Mein Marjawan’ actor Arjun Bijlani further says that even though actors sometimes want to open up about their mental health, but they can’t. Arjun, however, suggests that more awareness should be created around the importance of mental health.
“The solution is that we, as a society, need to change. There should be more awareness about depression, there should be centres and these centre numbers must be sent to everybody.
“If you are depressed and you are going through anything and you feel suicidal, then please contact this number. There should be these numbers where at least someone can call up and talk to you during those moments.”
Talking to sources the ‘Naagin’ actor said social media has now become a major cause for depression. “Nowadays, because of social media, I think a lot of people just see everybody’s posts and they feel that the person is so happy. And seeing someone so happy kind of makes you more depressed than what you already are. You feel that everything is only going wrong in your life and everything is going right in somebody else’s life. But not everything that shines is gold.”
“I think social media is playing a very dominant role today in people’s lives.” He further adds that the sense of he has it all and I don’t is making things complex. Arjun went on to say how it’s important to learn how to be content with what you have and keep working hard to reach your goal. “I need fame like Shah Rukh Khan but that doesn’t mean that if I don’t have it, I will get depressed. You may achieve it or you may not achieve it, you need to tell yourself right from the start that this happens in every field,” he added.
He signs off by saying, “You got to keep doing your thing, small or big, whatever but create an environment of happiness with people around. Work is an aspect of life, but happiness truly comes from being with the people around you and family and many other things.”
Depression today is taking more lives than anything else. The only solution is to initiate a conversation around it and to speak to someone when you feel sad, lonely or depressed. We should always remember that harming oneself is never the answer.