How The Death of an Indian Public Figure Is Sparking a Mental Health Revolution...
Disclaimer: This article has no intention of sensationalizing or exploiting the tragic death of Sushant Singh Rajput and is based on facts recovered from the police investigation as of 19th June, 2020.
On the afternoon of 14th June, we all heard of the tragic passing of Sushant Singh Rajput, an A-list Bollywood actor who committed suicide, succumbing to his depression. India is a country where are our stars and celebrities are deemed to be nothing less than God, and in the aftermath of the actor’s passing, the country has seen debates on nepotism, identification of talent, hypocrisy and the juxtaposing careers of actors who are products of nepotism vs those who aren’t. However, it has also sparked conversation on something very stigmatic in our country, mental health. While a majority of people have misconceptions on depression, anxiety, OCD and other mental health issues, a large chunk of our population decidedly choses to turn a complete blind eye towards it, disregarding its very existence.
However, as the country faces the loss of a major actor who succumbed to a mental health illness, a lot of people are talking about the ill-effects of not acknowledging or treating depression. It may be because when someone you look up dies due to a mental health illness, it seems much more real, especially for those who are ignorant about it. It also proves that you don’t need to be poor or unsuccessful (at least on the forefront) to have depression. While some claims suggest that the actor had been shunned away by big production houses, other claims say that he had over 5 upcoming projects. In a country where we worship actors, the loss of one due to depression has been the loudest wake-up call!
People are finally speaking up, coming out and acknowledging its very existence. However, the aftermath has also seen some dark outcomes, all related to mental health. Four minors spiralled into depression post the actors death and died by suicide.
What is ironic is that Rajput’s last theatrical release, Chhichhore, was about the importance of living life to the fullest and not taking judgements to your heart - and how suicide is not an option, ever. However, many people do reach a brink where they think that not living is easier than living. Mental health awareness is tackling exactly that - acknowledging that depression exists is the first step, how you cannot just snap out of it and how therapy is required. It can reduce the suicides of India from 230,000 a year (2016 figure) to none. If only we chose to speak up. And for that, we need a society that acknowledges, accepts and combats mental health illnesses.
Sushant Singh Rajput’s overarching legacy, other than his filmography, is unabashedly going to be starting conversations on mental health (and how nepotism and ignorance can lead to it). Signs have surely begun to show, whether it is people asking their friends and social-media followers to share their thoughts and feelings with them or talking about the importance of just being there for others. It isn’t and won’t just be an alarm for the Bollywood industry, but for a country as a whole. These conversations that have begun, can lead to the next big revolution - Destigmatizing, Acknowledging and Combating Mental Health Illnesses.