In a candid moment, Anisha Padukone, sister of Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, admitted her surprise at not knowing about Deepika's mental health struggles . Anisha,golfer by profession,spoke with PTI,saying she hadn’t understood signs of mental health issues.
“Personally,I was not aware of signs and symptoms to grasp what she was going through,” Anisha said. Distance played a role; they live in different cities. “I am caught unaware and off guard,” she added,now driven to learn more about mental health.
As Anisha explored her own mental health,she saw need to address these issues . “As athlete,I focus on physical health but not much on mental health,” she explained. Her journey revealed how widespread these struggles are,affecting millions globally.
Deepika has been open about her battles with depression. At recent event for her Live Love Laugh Foundation, she recounted critical moment when her mother visited her in Mumbai. During her mother's departure, she broke down,overwhelmed. “I don’t know. I am just feeling helpless and hopeless. Mujhe jeena hi nahi hai (I don’t want to live),” she recalled telling her family.
Luckily,Deepika's mother saw signs of distress and urged her to seek help. Deepika has since stressed stigma around mental health in India,often blocking open talks. “As soon as I started to talk about mental illness,it felt lighter,” she said. Sharing stories on anxiety, stress,depression can ease many burdens.
Looking ahead,Deepika will appear in film King with Shah Rukh Khan,and also in Raaka,directed by Atlee,featuring Allu Arjun in lead role…
