As yet another TV actor commits suicide

Mona

Sabse bura hota hai sapno ka mar jana, reads actor Preksha Mehta’s last message on Instagram before she was found dead. The current pandemic has snatched away many lives, many dreams. Two actors committing suicide within a gap of less than 10 days makes one wonder if the telly industry is more prone to stresses and strains of life?

Patience is the key

Bhawsheel Sahni, who plays Bobby in Patiala Babes, is stuck in Mumbai and devastated by Mehta’s suicide. “I knew Preksha and Manmeet bhaji (Grewal); both were part of audition groups that I was a part of too.” He agrees that being an actor comes with pressures. “Not just television industry, any other field that has long working hours in our country is tough to survive in. And now the lockdown uncertainty sure has been heavy on some.”

He adds, “Life is tough, but we got to slug it out.” As for lockdown anxieties, he is with his actor-casting director flatmate from Chandigarh. “To be honest, many actors like me have a long time in between two shows and then we are forced to sit home. But I am taking it one day at a time,” says this actor, who was a part of 21 Sarfarosh – Saragarhi 1897. Bhawsheel intends to wait it out till June to see how things go and hopes to be home in Mohali soon.

Be positive

Times are tough for everyone, believes Pooja Verma, but how you deal with it is an individual choice. “Things are dismal for many industries, but only the news about television actors gets highlighted as it is a glamour field,” says Pooja, who was part of the show Naamkarann. She admits that to begin with the thought of staying at home locked down worried her, “As an actor, one is always travelling with projects. Staying home is the new normal now and I fill my day with activities to keep myself positively engaged. It’s tough on everyone, but one has to accept it and like everyone else go through it,” she adds. Yoga, Zumba and watching positive content are her mantras to tide over the tough time.

Fight it out

“We have to live with precautions,” believes Bhabhi Ji Ghar Pe-fame actor Rohitash Gaud. “Our industry isn’t organised. Many actors get payments after three months and the lockdown has really made it hard for them.” He hopes the world changes for better, including the industry; till then, he says to his fellow actors, “Have heart. Problems are real, but to fulfil one’s dreams one needs to live and fight it out. Being an actor in Mumbai needs real grit; stay strong, the situation is bound to change for good eventually.”

Stop emotional distancing

Mental health issues are on the rise, which is a given in a pandemic; the thing is to understand the causes and how one can sail through it all. “Disruption of routine, financial hardships and ‘infodemic’ (too much information at hand) are all contributing to it. While it sure is the time for social distancing, emotional distancing can be avoided,” says psychiatrist Dr Sachin Kaushik.

How to tide over the crisis

• Believe that all is not over. We all have been through tough times before.
• Don’t mess with the circadian rhythm of the body. Go back to pre-lockdown routine.
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day – skip, jog on the terrace or climb stairs.
• Eat well; having vitamin-filled fruits and vegetables has a protective effect not only on the body, but also the mind.
• Dopamine, the feel-good hormones, get activated when you learn something new; do what you always wanted to – learn Spanish, make that business proposal you have been sitting over for a while.
• It’s but natural to feel low, talk it out with family friends; if thoughts of self-harm cross your mind despite all this, reach out to a mental health professional.

mona@tribunemail.com