Deepika Padukone On A Mission To Help Farmers

Earlier this year, Deepika Padukone shocked the country, when she revealed that she was struggling with anxiety and depression (early 2014) at a time when she was being celebrated as one of the most sought-after actors in Bollywood. Taking a cue from her personal experience, on Saturday (October 10), she launched a foundation, Live Love Laugh, which is dedicated to helping those who suffer from mental health issues.

Source: classicalite.com 

Through her foundation, she plans to reach out to people from all walks of life, who are suffering from mental health problems. Deepika Padukone

Now, through this foundation, Deepika might also come to the aid of the distressed farmers of the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra. At the launch event, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he “would like to give Deepika a mission... to engage with the farmers” against the backdrop of the agrarian crisis that’s arising out of several farmer suicides in the state over the past few years.

Deepika, on her part, seems to have taken the CM’s “mission” very seriously. “She immediately asked her core team to start doing extensive research on the roles that depression and mental health issues play in the cases of farmer suicides. She is getting a study conducted in a scientific manner to understand the issue better,” says an insider.

At the event, Fadnavis also said, “We did a survey (with regard to farmer suicides) in two places, and found out that 40% of the farmers were under stress.”

Deepika is keen on helping the farmers in “whatever way she can”. The insider adds, “Once her team is done with the research, Deepika will take the next step to help the farmers. Through her foundation, she plans to reach out to people from all walks of life, who are suffering from mental health problems, and that, includes the farmers too.”

Despite repeated attempts, Deepika could not be reached for a comment.