It’s the 21st century, and on paper, we might be taking a step towards becoming a developing nation, but in reality, we are still backward when it comes to dealing with mental health issues. In India, depression as a mental health problem is still considered a taboo. We aren’t a country where we openly talk about it, maybe that’s the reason why many who suffer from it are scared to take professional help. We often try shutting down such conversation and often call one dealing with it ‘insane’.
But what’s even more concerning is when an influential figure talks about depression and terms it as ‘luxury’.
In a recent interview, Salman Khan spoke about how since the age of 15-16, he has been working non-stop and has never taken a time off. Even when the actor isn’t shooting, he is out on the field doing something or the other. According to media reports, the actor even talked about mental health and said, “I see a lot of people getting depressed and emotional, but I can’t afford that luxury of being depressed or sad or emotional.” He also added, “I see a lot of people going on vacations, but I cannot afford that luxury of taking a vacation.”
Dear Salman, you ain’t the only one who is missing out on vacations. There are lakhs of people out there who can’t afford the luxury of taking a vacation. But you can SURELY afford the vacation. You not taking one is your CHOICE. And to be clear having a vacation and being depressed isn’t the same thing.
(c) Colors
Depression is a serious issue and a bit of research will surely help you understand it. Also, DEPRESSION isn’t a LUXURY…no one loves being miserable, sad, dejected, or low-spirited. It’s not a CHOICE that someone can make.
What stuns us is the fact when someone like Salman Khan who is considered a demigod in India dismisses it as a trivial problem. When a public face who can influence millions of people talks in this way, you can just understand the consequences his words can have and we don’t need to tell you that.
Depression isn’t a temporary phase as if you are having a mood swing or just some random hormonal change which will get better. It is pretty serious and not easy to overcome.
It is such a SHAME when a popular figure talks about it as if depression is like choosing a topping on your pizza, which you decided when to have and when not to have.
(c) Twitter
FYI Mr Khan, as per World Health Organisation (WHO), one in every four children between the age of 13 and 15 in India and 86 million people in the Southeast Asia region suffer from depression. Well, definitely can’t call it a luxury now, can we?
Mental illness is as serious as your back problem or you getting hurt while doing some stunt that goes viral all over the Internet. Those bruises you get are temporary but not DEPRESSION!
Well, you can actually talk to your film fraternity friends to get a better idea about it.
last day of tiger zinda Hai shoot n sharing with u 1st day of Race 3 ka pic in a bit …
Actors like Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan have come forward and actually talked about it publically. Believe it or not but confessing that you are depressed or have come out of it ain’t an easy job. It requires a lot of strength, hard work, and strong spirit. It is a fight much real than the action sequences you do on-screen. It ain’t a fight that gets over with few retakes; in depression, every day is a fight and you are just clueless when it will end.
So just a request Salman Khan, you have a crazy fan following and you know it. You know your super fan following and the impact your words have. So stop using terms like RAPE and DEPRESSION so casually, as if it is OK for it to happen. Because it is NOT OK.
Think a bit before you speak; just like your on-screen characters, your off-screen one leaves an impression too. Trust me, no one would like to live in the luxury of being sad or depressed, not really an ideal life for anyone. Just give it a thought, because you can’t get away with saying just about anything every time.