Shaheen Bhatt opened up about how she had suffered from depression at a tender age in her book ‘Never Been (Un)Happier’ which was launched last year. In an interview with Rajeev Masand, she recently, spoke in detail about the incidents during her childhood that pushed her into the dark phase of her life.
Shaheen’s mother Soni Razdan opened up about her daughter’s depression and how she helped her heal as per a report by NDTV. “I am a mother. Whether it is Alia or Shaheen, at any point in time, if they are suffering, I am the one who gets affected badly,” Soni said.
“I am the mother, and the emotional chord with my children is naturally strong. So there are times when I might get sleepless nights because I am worried. Particularly in Shaheen’s case, I was worried because at this young age, she went through so much.”
“As a mother, that time I had to be strong, and take the right action to help her, to heal her. I did what a mother is supposed to do,” she added.
On the work front, Soni has featured in some critically acclaimed films like Razi and No Fathers In Kashmir recently. Her latest film Yours Truly where she portrays the role of a middle-aged woman alongside husband Mahesh Bhatt has released on OTT platform ZEE5.
Talking about the film, Soni said, “When I was approached for the film, I asked the filmmaker, ‘Who would be interested to watch a story of a middle-aged woman? I would love to be part of the story because it is the central character that nobody has offered me ever in my acting career, but who would be remotely interested to watch the story?”
“That’s when I got impressed by what Sanjoy Nag said… That every story has its audience and unless we make it and put it out there, the audience won’t get access to the story. I think it is weird how people take the term middle-age.
Elaborating how her story is relevant to the audience Soni said, “Everyone is middle-aged only. Because either you are newborn, a child, an adult and then a considerable time of your life, you are middle-aged. So it is then only wise to look at it as a normal age group and a story cannot be categorized as a ‘middle-aged people’s story’.”https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs7-pzZAfhS/
Soni also spoke in detail about her character in the film. “She is a loner but what was heartbreaking for me about Mithi is that she never got a chance to choose her life partner. We all are familiar with loneliness, even if you are young. When youngsters shift their base from their hometown to a new city, for study or work, even though they have friends around, somewhere you are bound to face loneliness,” she said.
“With time, you learn how to deal with it. You have to become friends with yourself first,” she said.
Talking about her experience of shooting the film in the historic city of Kolkata, Soni said, “It makes the city unique and hold a charm. In old Kolkata, there are some beautiful old buildings…some of them are well-maintained, somewhere reflects what the city has gone through in the past… Kolkata does not look like a Delhi or Mumbai. The city has its identity.”
“And yes, you get all the mouthwatering food in Kolkata. Being a foodie like me, what else do I want?” she said.
A loving and caring mother and a versatile actor, 60-year-old Soni Razdan seems to be a pro in handling her personal and professional life perfectly. We hope she continues doing so for many more years to come. All the best Soni!