Published 14:14 IST, December 5th 2019
Deepika Padukone sheds light on struggles with depression, says ‘for months I suffered'
Deepika Padukone struggled with depression when she was at the peak of her career and personal life. Recently she opened up about her victorious journey.
Deepika Padukone has carved a niche for herself with her stellar performances at the box office with films like Bajirao Mastani, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express, etc. She is undoubtedly one of the queens in Bollywood today and is also one of the most bankable actors. Deepika Padukone had revealed earlier that she fought her way through depression while she was at the peak.
Deepika Padukone opens up about depression
Deepika Padukone, in a recent interview with a leading global daily, revealed her struggles with mental health. She revealed how her depression would attack her when she was least expecting it. She also spoke about instances where she would have to find a corner and have a meltdown.
While talking about one instance, in particular, Deepika Padukone revealed that during the shoot of a song sequence she had a similar incident. The song was a celebratory, happy number and hence the energy of the team was such as well. But suddenly, she felt “lost and alone” due to which she had to run back to the bathroom and start crying.
Padukone also spoke about how, in her career as an actor, she has donned a wide range of roles. But the real role that changed her was the one she took on in her real life. She also said that the ability to acknowledge and understand her condition was one of the baby steps to her recovery. Her real-life role of a person fighting with depression was the toughest.
The actress further went on to reveal that she experienced the first signs of the illness in 2014. She spoke about how she even fainted one day after a long day of work. The next day the Padmaavat actor woke up with an empty stomach paired with an urge to cry out.
Deepika Padukone went on to reveal how she came up with a solution to deal with her struggles. She said that it was her mother who asked her to go and consult a doctor. She also said that accepting her condition and herself is one of the “kindest things” she has done for herself.
Padukone said that once she came out and went public about her struggles, she felt the need to help more people going through the same. Hence, with this motive in mind, Deepika founded the Live Love Laugh Foundation in 2015. She said that over the past four years, her NGO has helped to remove the stigma attached to depression in India.
She ended the conversation by claiming that she has finally found the peace and comfort that she longed for within herself. Deepika Padukone said that her struggles have provided her with a “deeper connection” with herself. She also exclaimed that she is now much stronger to deal with depression if she ever feels something like that again.
Updated 15:01 IST, December 5th 2019