Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone has taken part in a 50-minute television interview with journalist Barkha Dutt, where she spoke openly about her recently publicized battle with depression. Speaking on NDTV’s ‘Let’s Talk Depression’, the 29-year-old actress appeared alongside her mother Ujjala Padukone, counselor Dr Anna Chandy and psychiatrist Dr Shyam Bhatt in the televised show. This is the first time Deepika has spoken on national television about her personal battles with the mental illness, which she hopes will have a positive impact on those who are also suffering from it.
Speaking on the show about her experiences with depression, Deepika had this to say, “I am doing this because it’s been so hard for me that I don’t want anyone else to go through it. I think for me the scariest was not understanding why it was happening or where it was coming from, because there was not one reason or cause.”
Also appearing on the show alongside Deepika was her mother Ujjala, who said the following, “As a parent, you don’t want your any of family members to be ill in any way, that is first thing. The second pressure was you don’t want someone like her, you don’t want the outside world to know what’s happening because then there are all kinds of stories that will go around and all kinds of things being written about. So, it was that added pressure as well.”
Deepika agreed to take part in the interview in her hopes that it will help to save lives, as depression is a major link to the high number of suicide rates in India. “You know, for everyone who is watching this interview and for people who have been through or are going through right now or for families whose somebody dear is going through it. I hope that they take it as an example and listen to what we are saying and hopefully help the people around them and for me that is even more important.”
