‘Yes, I have a problem’

Jasmine Singh

Instagram confessions by celebrities, talking about their inner turmoil, their anxiety, depression and illness are in a way doing away with the stigma and offering support to common people who might be struggling with similar problem.

After Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre spoke about her aggressive cancer on Instagram sharing details of how she was handling it, now actor Hrithik Roshan in his latest Instagram post has informed fans that his father Rakesh Roshan is diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the throat (throat cancer) and that senior Roshan will be undergoing a surgery for it.

Hrithik also instagrammed a picture of himself with his father and wrote: “Asked my dad for a picture this morning... Knew he wouldn’t miss gym on surgery day. He is probably the strongest man I know. Got diagnosed with early stage squamous cell carcinoma of the throat a few weeks ago but he is in full spirits today as he proceeds to battle it. As a family we are fortunate and blessed to have a leader like him.”

Many celebrities like Tahira Kashyap, Irrfan Khan, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Rishi Kapoor, Lady Gaga on a recent footing have spoken about their illness on social media, in a way inspiring common people to handle it head-on and not shy away from talking about it.

Healing together

Pain, suffering and illness are not something celebrities are immune to, they do go through the same ordeal if detected with cancer, diabetes or mental depression like any other person. But talking about it takes a little more than just courage.

Offers retired senior medical officer Param Preet Ghuman from Mohali, “We are still not comfortable talking about our illness with neighbours or friends or colleagues. But celebrities talking about their illness only says that they are as vulnerable and humane as we are, and if they can be open about it and fight it out, so can we.”

Celebrity wife and film director Tahira Kashyap took to Instagram to talk about her breast cancer, inspiring many women with her post, which said: “I want women of all ages to be aware. I am 35, and I was returned twice over from a mammogram. If any symptoms come up, think of it as a protective force and get yourselves examined... This post is dedicated to awareness, self-love and resilience of a warrior that I know each one of us possesses”.

Feeling free

In the recent past, many celebrities have admitted their struggles with mental health. Deepika Padukone, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Varun Dhawan, and Kapil Sharma have been open about their problem and how they coped up with it. Not only this, recently singer Neha Kakkar shared her break-up story on Instagram, admitting that she was going through depression. Known television actor Anas Rashid from Moga would like to call each one of the above mentioned celebrities bravehearts. “They are as human as common people and this is what their posts tell us. They are not obligated to share details, but in sharing they are inspiring others who are suffering from the same illness or going through the same pain.”