It takes a lot of courage to talk about mental health issues, especially for celebrities who are always in the public eye. However, there are a few female actors who have been brave enough to dismantle the misguided notion that seeking therapy is something you can’t talk about openly. Actresses Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma spoke about depression and anxiety and inspired us in ways more than they can imagine, many others followed suit to remove the taboo that surrounds mental health. At a recent interview for the promotion of her film, Jabariya Jodi, actress Parineeti Chopra decided to open up about a dark phase in her life.
The actress, who was accompanied by her co-star and friend, Sidharth Malhotra confessed to battling depression in the year 2015. Parineeti said that after two of her movies that didn’t do well at the box office, a failed relationship and some financial constraints, she found it difficult to keep a clear head. “The end of 2014 and all of 2015 – that one and a half year was truly the worst time in my life. Two of my films – Daawat-e-Ishq and Kill Dil – did not work. That was my first setback. They released back-to-back and they didn’t work. Suddenly, I did not have money… Then I went through a big heartbreak in my life. Literally, all the departments in my life were down. Nothing positive to look forward to.”
Rumours suggested that the actress broke up in 2015 with her boyfriend of three years, Maneesh Sharma, the director who rose to fame with movies like Band Baaja Baraat and Ladies vs Ricky Bahl.
Parineeti went on to describe how she behaved for almost a year, barely speaking to her family and losing touch with all her friends. “I went into a shell. I stopped eating, I stopped sleeping well. I did not have any friends at that time. I never used to meet people. The people I was in touch with, I cut off from everyone, including my family. I would talk to them once in two weeks. I was gone… finished,” the actress said. “I just used to be in my room, watching TV, sleeping, staring all day… I was a zombie. I was like that typical filmy depressed girl… I would cry maybe 10 times a day. I was always upset and crying. I had this chest pain that would not go out of my body,” she added.
During the interview, actor Sidharth Malhotra asked Parineeti how she got out of it and how it changed her life. The actress spoke about how her brother, Sahaj Chopra was a rock through it all and the only person she would talk to every single day. “I started working on myself. I became fitter. I just took life into my own hands because I thought if I go into this pit, I will never come out again,” Parineeti added.
The actress also said that having experienced this at an early stage in her life has taught her how to deal with her problems better. “I thank god every day that this didn’t happen to me later, I’m so glad it happened when I was 25. Cause that jhatka so early can really fix you for life,” she said.
“I’ve never felt depression, actual clinical depression, it happened to me in that year,” Parineeti added, saying that she is better today because of that phase because if she faces the same problems today she knows how to fix herself faster.
Kudos to you Parineeti, stay strong!
Featured Image: Instagram
POPxo is now available in six languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Bangla.
Love all things colourful and cute? Take it up a POP with POPxo Shop‘s collection of super fun mugs, phone covers, cushions, laptop sleeves and more!
