Deepika on depression: “I never thought about what people are going to think of me”

Deepika Padukone shocked many when she revealed that she had suffered from depression. She was one of the few popular actors from Bollywood that shared her own story, and spoke about mental health in general. Padukone also revealed that speaking about her own journey felt empowering, and feels that if she can save even one life with her story, everything she set out to do would make sense.

Padukone attended an event on mental awareness, where Asian Age reports her saying, “I never thought about what people are going to think of me, will I be offered films or whether it will affect my popularity. With the help of the foundation, we want to change the narrative around mental health in India. Why only Bollywood? We want everybody in influential positions in the country to speak out about these issues. Now that you’re asking me, maybe I should have since I just delivered a 300-crore hit (Padmaavat). But no, I never thought about what people will think of me, or how it would affect my work or if I would be offered any films. None of these thoughts ever crossed my mind. I was only thinking about how I felt about the issue: There was a lot of stigma attached to it. I thought if I could save even one life by sharing my story, everything I set out to do would make sense. I can say that it is extremely empowering once you share your journey, you kind of feel a weight off your shoulders, I mean that’s my personal experience.”

Padukone will next be seen in an special appearance in Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Zero’.