Lessons to learn from the life of Sushant Singh Rajput

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput, 34 years old committed suicide at his home in Mumbai on Sunday morning. He was found hanging at his Bandra home. He is said to have been suffering from depression for a few months.

Sushant’s death comes shockingly just 4 days after his ex-manager Disha Salian committed suicide by jumping off her apartment in Mumbai.

Sushant initially intended to become an engineer, securing an all-India 7th rank in AIEEE. He completed his Mechanical Engineering degree from Delhi College of Engineering, also winning the Physics Olympiad. After trying his hand his hand in theatre and dancing he decided to drop out from the college as he was not able to focus on his studies due to time constraints. Sushant enrolled himself in Shiamak Davar's dance classes from 2005-08 and also attended Barry John's drama classes.

He got his break in the small screen in the reality show Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil. He got his big role in the highly popular show Pavitra Rishta for which he won several best actor awards. His popularity in the show gave him a stepping stone into films.He made a jump to the big screen by debuting in the commercially hit and critically acclaimed movie Kai Po Che. His performance was praised by critics and fans who termed his debut as “a star is born”. He went on star in films like Shuddh Desi Romance, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy for which he garnered critical praise. This got him a role in the highest grossing Hindi film of that time PK with Amir Khan. He bagged his first big solo role in the sports film M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story which went on to do a business of more than 100 crores Rs. He portrayed the role of Indian Cricketer Ms Dhoni in that film which was widely praised by the critics and his portrayal was applauded even before the film's release. For his performance in the film, Rajput got his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Always experimenting with his roles, he then starred in romantic movies like Raabta and Kedarnath. 2019 was a great year for Rajput as he starred in 3 films. Even though his third film drive wasn’t appreciated much, his film Sonchiriya was hailed as a critical masterpiece and went on to win the best film of the year. His film Chhichhore was loved by the whole country and world doing a business of more than 200 crores and even got nominated for best movie of the year.

Not hailing from a film background and still making it big in the industry, Sushant is an inspiration for all the outsiders to not only the film industry, but also to other professions like law, medical, business etc. Through hard work and versatility in his roles, Sushant made a name for himself in the movie industry and is a person for young people to look up to if they feel they can’t make it big in their profession if they don’t belong to influential family or a family not dealing in the profession.

He is part of NGO’s that support women, he is a part of programmes like Sushant4Education that helps young students. Even through his films and work, Sushant has always tried to send a message to the audience. He did Kai Po Che which was an emotional film on abiding friendship and the values that make life worth living. His movie PK ridicules the marketing gimmicks that the self-proclaimed men of God indulge in and show how people are getting massacred in the name of religion. His latest movie Chhichhore had on of the best messages ever portrayed by a Hindi Film. The filmtalks about success and failures, and how one shouldn’t give up on life because of a failure. Instead, they should learn from the failure and utilize it towards success. It also highlights the harsh background of competition in education in India.

Mental Health in India:

The death of Sushant Singh has come as a shock to the whole nation. He was a successful star and had a lot of money, but he still committed suicide because of depression, which has given rise to debate of the ignorance of Indians towards Mental Health. According to an estimate by the World Health Organization (WHO), India has one of the largest populations affected from mental illness. As a result, WHO has labelled India as the world’s ‘most depressing country’.Mental Health and depression are not considered to be serious issues in this country as according to data the majority of suicides are committed by people under 40 years of age suffering from trauma, depression or failures.The main reason behind this is the lack of awareness and sensitivity about the issue. There is a huge stigma around the subject of mental health in our country, and most conversations are often brushed under the carpet.The people who are suffering from a mental issue and share their issues are often tagged as ‘lunatics’ by the society. This leads to a vicious cycle of shame, suffering and isolation of the patients. The people then take a drastic step such as suicide because either they don’t have someone to talk to, and if they share their problems with people, they are mocked. It is easy for people to say that suicide is not the option and they should talk to people around them but does the stigma that exists in our country allows them to do so?

When it comes to Actors, if they share their personal issues, the media terms it as a publicity stunt.This happened with Deepika when Kangana Ranaut’s sister and manager Rangoli Chandel called out Deepika Padukone’s “The Live Love Laugh Foundation” for allegedly trivialising depression and piggybacking on mental illness for publicity. The line that separates the personal life of an individual with his work life is blurred by the media and they have no respect for the emotions of that individual or what he/she is going through. Salman Khan when asked about mental health told the media that ‘he was too busy to have the luxury to be depressed.’ This is the importance that people give to mental health issues like depression in India.

What is the Solution?

There are no laws in India that deal with Mental Agony or Distress.It is high time people start talking mental health issues seriously, by talking to each other, being kind to others and helping the people who have no one to talk to.

The ministry of health and family welfare came up with the accredited social health activist (ASHA) which not onlyeducates and sensitize women and children about mental diseases but also guide them to reach the right expert in their locality.In other words, they form the bridge between patients and the most optimal care around them. As India is country that is badly troubled by this issue it needs to be given much more importance than this. People need to be taught about mental issue through programmes like Swachh Mansikta Abhiyan which will encourage people to talk about their mental well-being and reach out to a therapist or psychiatrist, in case they need help. This campaign will also help them address mental issues in a timely and effective manner and live a stress-free life. Timely intervention, awareness about the issue, availability of professional help and appropriate policies is the only way that can help the country deal with the issue and not lose precious lives due to depression.