Lights, camera and depression: What you see on reel may not be real

Seventeen-year-old actor Zaira Wasim joined the list of Indian celebrities talking openly about their battle with anxiety and depression, bringing into focus the dark side of the glitz and glamour associated with film stars. Zaira, who became a household name after acting in Dangal (2016) and Secret Superstar (2017), revealed in an Instagram post on Thursday how at 12, she had her first panic attack and has since been taking anti-depressants daily.

Under constant spotlight for their appearances in the real and reel world, many celebrities across the world have spoken extensively about having battled mental health issues. From smiling and posing confidently for shutterbugs at red carpet events and switching into a different personality to showcase varied emotions when the camera rolls on film sets to being nervous, anxious and panicky when alone, even the bigger and more famous Indian stars, such as Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma, have openly spoken about their battles with depression and anxiety, respectively.

Explaining the dilemma that celebrities go through, Mumbai-based psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty said the time and situations where these people can be themselves are very limited. “As celebrities, they are called to emote – both on and off camera. While in front of the camera, they have to follow the director’s instructions; off the camera, they have a persona and image to uphold. They need to maintain a certain aura for their fans as well as the media. Even a slight misstep is interpreted as a tantrum,” said Shetty.

What takes further toll on their mental health, said Shetty, is the constant attention they receive. “They are forced to wear a mask, as they are always under the arc lights.”

In case of Zaira, too, who has acted in two films in the past three years, the personal struggle was hidden behind the cheerful characters portrayed on the big screen, till the teenager decided to speak up.

Actor Meher Vij, who was Zaira’s on-screen mother in Secret Superstar, said she never sensed the 17-year-old actor was going through so much. “On the sets, she was like most of us, happy and focussed. I can’t believe she is going through so much…,” said Vij.

In 2014, when Deepika spoke about how she struggled with depression, the actor had recounted how she went about the routine she is expected to follow as a star, even as all she wanted to do was “curl up and stay in bed”. “…I was going about my day, posing for cameras, getting interviewed and signing autographs. But what nobody saw was that I didn’t feel like myself, I felt ‘different’ somehow. My breathing was irregular and shallow, my stomach was in knots, getting out of bed was a struggle and I would break down for no reason…”

Another unique problem celebrities face is the “God complex”, said Dr Yusuf Merchant, a Mumbai-based psychiatrist and an author. “Because they are treated like Gods by their fans, they tend to start feeling like one. But they are human beings,” said Merchant. “Even their brains cells need adequate rest and respite. Several times, they don’t get it owing to their shoots and other commitments. This then leads to drastic repercussions.”