The entertainment industry is not an easy place to be. While the glitz and glamour may seem alluring, it is a tough place when it comes to dealing with work, love and loss. The recent incident that brought this discussion to the fore is actor Tunisha Sharma, who has reportedly ended her life over issues with her beau Sheezan Khan, who is also her co-star in the show Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul. Muskurane Ki Wajah Tum Ho actor Hiten Paintal shares his viewpoint.
“The entertainment industry is a very tough place. People only see the glamour and ignore what goes beyond the hours of shooting. There’s so much that happens behind the curtain,” he says.
Heartbreaks lead to extreme reactions. Some people even end up taking drastic steps.
“People need to be tougher and move on. In the recent times the cases of suicide have increased so much, especially in our industry. There are so many people who are successful, are getting work and money but they really need to move on from the heartbreaks, love and relationships and be a little tougher. They have to learn to control their emotions. Suicide is a very big step. I feel the people just take the escape route but they don’t think about what happens to their family. I am sure no parent would ever want to see their child go like this. God had given us this life and he will take it back when the time comes, why should we do such things,” he tries to raise questions among those who lose hope easily.
The uncertainty in the nature of work in showbiz also affects the mental health of those a part of the workforce. Agreeing, Hiten adds, “Absolutely it does. Empty minds are devil workshops. Uncertainty of work stresses you out. So many of my friends are not from Mumbai and they live on rent and are struggling. When you don’t have work, it’s very scary. Sometimes there is work but the money gets delayed. It’s a different feeling altogether.”
The industry as a whole can help each other cope with mental health issues, feels the actor. However, it seems he does not have much trust in this industry.
“I don’t think anyone from the industry will come forward to do it. Everybody is carrying their own baggage and everyone somewhere is a little selfish. At the end of the day, we all are selfish. I really think that something needs to be done where people can go and talk to people without being judged,” he says.
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Speaking on Tunisha’s sudden demise at the age of 20, Hiten shares that his niece Sarah Paintal was part of the same show. “She was so shocked that a 20 year old would just take her life like that. Some relationships don’t work out and we all have gone through that but it doesn’t mean that we end our lives. If people start taking their own lives just because their relationships didn’t work out then there will be hundreds of deaths happening every day. I am very shocked that Tunisha took her life and feel very sorry for her parents,” he ends.
