Amid all the heart rendering messages in the light of Pratyusha Banerjee’s death, celebs from tinsel town are speaking up on how taking one's life is not the solution and that they should have the courage to beat the odds and seek counselling. By Shrabasti Mallik and Arjita Mishra
Remember the scene from the movie Notting Hill where Julia Roberts’s character Anna Scott gives a description of what it is like to be a star, with the constant intrusion of the paparazzi. There was, in particular, one dialogue that sums best the lives of celebrities, “And every time I get my heart broken, the newspapers splash it about as though it’s entertainment.”
With every passing minute, the death of 24-year-old Pratyusha Banerjee is becoming murkier with the father of Rahul Raj Singh claiming that the actress was about to sever ties with her family and his mother stating that one who loves cannot kill. Over the past two days, every form of social media Twitter, Facebook and Instagram has been flooded with condolences, pouring in from every possible member of the television fraternity and also some from Bollywood.
Amidst all the “RIPs”, “sad to hear about her death” and “strength for her family”, a few actors have actually had the sense to speak up about how death is not the only solution one could resort to when all options in hand are exhausted.
Some celebs have the nerve to fight through whatever is bothering them, while some succumb to it. Case in point would be Deepika Padukone, who sought counselling and overcame her phase of depression. And that is exactly one of the points that few TV actors are trying to make.
“I worry there is something broken in our generation; there are so many sad eyes on happy faces. Atticus. (sic),” said actor Mouni Roy’s photo on photo sharing site Instagram. Her reaction, at the news of her friend’s death, did not look fake as she apparently fainted at the hospital.
The actor’s opposition to the act that Banerjee sought a solution in, found a voice in her post which wished for the actor to shoe some strength to “overcome her woes.”
Even her neighbour Anuj Sachdeva, in his statement, lamented the fact that he should have at least knocked once and asked her about it. He mentioned that instead of taking such drastic measures one should at least attempt to talk to someone, “because that helps.”
Pratyusha’s fellow contestant at Bigg Boss and friend Kushal Tandon echoed Roy’s and Sachdeva’s thoughts on Twitter which said, “Suicide doesnt take away the pain, it gives it to someone else.” And we agree. It might be the end for the victim but it triggers a decade of woes for family and friends.
We know what’s it like to feel depressed and alone with no place to go but that certainly does not entitle anybody to take their own life.
Kushal Tandon
Actor Kushal Tandon, who knew Banerjee since their time together in the Bigg Boss house, took to micro blogging site Twitter, calling suicide a “selfish act which needs to be addressed.” The statement read, “SAD...If life is difficult...But why do this...This is not the way to end your life, rip pratyusha my sweet friend, strength to her family sad sad sad, suicide doesnt take away the pain, it gives it to someone else... And that is to family members.... Suicide is a selfish act... Depression needs address b4 suicide remains d only destination, A girl died... let her loved ones mourn in peace... social media may not have conscience... but it can have a heart... (sic).”
Mouni Roy
Shocked angry hurt & very disturbed with the fact that Pratyusha took her own life on account of a bad relationship or the other hardships she was fighting in her life. We all have several battles to fight & darkest nights after nights we struggle through fear and pain and lost causes but there s always a master there who can take us towards light again. We need to seek help, take that one step, ask for a hand to hold need be, but this, this is not right. lets not be so unfair to our parents, siblings, friends or anyone who saw even a tiniest bit of hope in us. This is really really sad and heartbreaking; I wish she had an ounce of strength to overcome her woes & had exercised her ghosts and lived still. A day too late now, I pray that her soul s peaceful and transcends to her wishful heaven. Shall always remember you as the emotional, lost beautiful girl. This is really sad (sic)”
Dr Ajay Phadke
ceo and founder, Type A Thought
A celebrity’s life often has hidden pressures as there is a facade that the actors have to maintain for being happy, upbeat, look great and act right all the time. They do not have the privacy like an ordinary person. The minutest details of their lives are splashed across media and are constantly scrutinised. This very limelight can become a prison if they do not have space to talk about the problems, express their feelings and take time off to deal with pressure. This affects the mental health of a person and he/she is forced to live dual lives. Working at odd hours, constant travelling, lack of sleep, less time spent with family and friends et al. add to the unprecedented pressure into celebrities’ life. They often pay a big price and sacrifice a lot of good things in life to become rich and famous.
Today, living a celebrity life can be physically and psychologically very demanding. In order to battle the stress and depression, one must seek help and talk to someone they trust, a professional who can keep secrets. They can guide in terms of steps one needs to take to address the issue. It is also important to step away from the limelight from time to time and evolve from within. One should reach out to family and friends and connect regularly in person. The people one talks to don’t have to be able to fix your stress; they just need to be good listeners. Opening up is not a sign of weakness.
Dr Sonal Anand Consultant Psychiatrists in Wockhardt Hospital
All actors in the limelight are faced with a constant need for perfection in all fields work quality , looks and beauty, social life, career growth. Along with that comes hectic working hours, lack of sleep, physical and mental stress for delivering on time. Such stressed actors go through a lot of conflicts due to their multi-focal tasking and are more prone for instant gratification like alcohol and drugs and living for the moment behaviour.
At some point, they do go through an ‘occupational burnout’ (or a milder version termed brownout). It all starts with the zest for proving oneself through compulsive working. All other needs take a backseat. Perception and values start changing leading to isolation and some behaviour changes like aggression, becoming emotionally blunt and preferring social withdrawal. Their life starts getting more machine-like and predictable. Along with pressure on the body, the constant overdrive on the mind can lead to depression and in severe cases suicidal ideation as the only means of rescue from the situation. learning how to deal with day to day stressors does help. Meditation, yoga and relaxation exercises all play an important role along with time management and coping skills. Sometimes an anti-depressant pill may be prescribed by a mental health professional so that depression is kept at bay and work focus is not lost.