8 Brave Bollywood Stars Who Battled Depression!

When millions of people around the world struggle with mental disorders, in our country even the slightest sign of unexpected or unusual, emotional and behavioural variation is veiled with a sense of horror causing the condition to spiral out of control. Even though celebs have the world at their feet armoured with fame and fortune, they are not exempt from depression or anxiety.

Here are the brave warriors of Bollywood who fought the war against mental illness, spread awareness and  inspiried the rest of the Nation!

1) Shahrukh Khan

Are you surprised? Yes! The Badshah of Bollywood suffered from mental illness back in 2010 and he fought his way through it coming out victorious! In an interview with The Hindu he said, “I went into depression, but am back.” “Due to the shoulder injury and the suffering I had got into a depression mode but now I am out of it. I feel happy and boosted with energy” he said. There is no doubt that depression stood no chance against King Khan’s mighty throne in Bollywood!

2)Anushka Sharma

“If you had a constant stomach pain, wouldn’t you go to the doctor? It’s that simple” says the Phillauri actress, Anushka Sharma. Anushka might be a pretty face in the showbiz but she certainly has the guts to take to Twitter regarding her anxiety issues urging the public to talk openly about it and support the those who suffer from mental illness without hiding it from the outside world.  “I have anxiety. And I'm treating my anxiety. I'm on medication for my anxiety. Why am I saying this? Because it’s a completely normal thing. It's a biological problem” said Anushka on Twitter. “ In my family there have been cases of depression. More and more people should talk openly about it. There is nothing shameful about it or something to hide” she said.

 3)Varun Dhawan

While shooting the movie ‘Badlapur,’ Bollywood’s stud muffin Varun Dhawan revealed that he was battling from depression. “I was depressed. I was not clinically declared depressed but I was heading there” said Varun. “I was very sad to a certain degree. I don't want to use the term 'depression' loosely because it's a serious illness. It definitely affected my mental health. I was prescribed and did see a doctor for it as well”, he said. Well, that din’t keep him from starring in many more blockbusters.

4) Yo Yo Honey Singh

Haven’t heard his quirky songs for while? Here’s why. Yo Yo Honey Singh was suffering from bipolar disorder. And he inspired his fans by sharing the news with them. “It was scary. One year had passed and I wasn't responding to medicines, until a fourth doctor from Delhi treated me. At one point, I thought I would live in this darkness forever. I had cut myself off from everyone. I didn't come out of my room, forget stepping out of the house” said Honey Singh. Months passed by and the singer was so much in pain that he couldn’t even gather the courage to step outside to get himself a haircut. “For someone who has performed in front of a crowd of 20,000, I was scared of facing 4-5 people. That's what bipolar disorder does to you” he said. Bipolar disorder might have kept this rock star on house arrest for a while but his songs are played on the radio till date!

5) Karan Johar

One of the most famous film makers of India, Karan Johar came out clean in an interview with Barkha Dutt for NDTV, that he fought clinical depression back in 2016. “I have read people speaking openly about their depression. There was a phase in my life, when I was really depressed. When I went through that phase, I thought I am getting a cardiac arrest.  I felt it in middle of a meeting a few years ago, after which I left the meeting in between saying I have something urgent to do and rushed to the doctor. He then said I am having an anxiety attack. I went to a psychologist post that. Then I realized that I had some internal issues to deal with, which got built up to such point that it resulted into anxiety”, said Karan Johar.  Those were the darkest days of his life! But, today Karan is at his spicy best churning out the celebrity gossip in Bollywood hosting his show ‘Koffee with Karan.’  

 6)Hrithik Roshan

Hrithik Roshan is one of the warriors of mental health who spoke at the ‘Everyday Heroes campaign’ to spread awareness about mental health and educate people that it's a serious issue that others need help with. "I have been through my ups and downs. I have experienced depression and confusion. It's a normal thing and we should be very casual when we speak about it”, said the actor who struggles with depression from time to time.

7)Deepika Padukone

This Bollywood beauty was at the pinnacle of her career when she opened up about herself suffereng from depression in a TV interview.  “I thought it was stress, so I tried to distract myself by focusing on work, and surrounding myself with people, which helped for a while. But the nagging feeling didn’t go away. My breath was shallow, I suffered from lack of concentration and I broke down often” said the actress.  Deepika took an upper hand in establishing a centre for mental health to help people going through mental issues.

8)Sanjay Dutt

Our very own Munna Bhai who lead a painful life in prison was mourning his father’s demise followed by the legal conviction after which he dozed off into depression spending sleepless nights in his cell. Despite all the tough days of his life his movies will still be cherished even as years pass by.

“Let’s make this our mission, to take the shame out of mental illness and educate people about it!”says Anushka Sharma. If we closely follow our favourite stars then why not learn a thing or two from them when they lead by example? Let’s together fight for a better future where we can shout out our worries  from the rooftops and not hideaway from it!