Depression has never been a joke and as much as celebrities worldwide may seem to have it all, what people don’t realise is that many of them suffer from mental illness due to their ridiculously hectic and micro-managed lifestyles, not to mention the constant criticism and hate they receive from the Internet, blogs, fans, even co-stars.
Too often headlines announce the premature death of a celebrated actor, boxer, designer, politician and writer to musician and entrepreneur leaving the world in shock. Even darker so, sometimes the death comes at the person’s own hands. Suicide is not a new concern, especially not in celebrity circles. These tragic deaths are also not limited by lines of work. But whenever such news breaks the Internet, the comments and messages of condolences from peers start pouring in, they storm the timeline with typically one thing in common ‘Sorry we couldn’t be there for you!’ and it’s the cycle that goes relentlessly unless another person’s name is struck off the list. 
As macabre and heart-breaking as these suicides are, for their family, fans, peers, and co-workers they serve as an important reminder that even if you think you may know everything about a person, underneath the surface they could believe that their life is worth nothing. The fact that these people – the aristocrats of their professions, in terms of skills, wealth and fame – decided to take their own life, is what needs to be assessed. The question most people ask is this, “Why would they want to take their own life, when they had ‘everything’?” But did they have everything, or does it even matter what they had or didn’t have in material possessions and fame? How many lives will be lost before the ten-letter word is addressed? How many names do we strike off the list before we understand that the society is plagued by a pandemic much worse than a plague. 
Though there have been more and more discussions about mental illness and the disruptive effect it can have on people’s lives, there is still a major stigma surrounding it. This stigma can cause people to hide their pain and try and deal with things behind closed doors. While many people, including celebrities, have decided to come forward and be transparent about their mental health struggles, discussing the issue does not always mean that one can overcome it. Celebrities do come out and talk about mental health issues, use their platforms to share their battles, about their emotional strives but sometimes all it takes is holding a hand, or a hug and checking up on the other person, despite their smile, despite their flawless social media posts to let them open their heart and soul to you and what has been bothering them, underneath the hoopla of all the pretences.
The list that includes the suicide of American actress like Marilyn Monroe, a designer like Kate Spade, Divya Bharti, the young Bollywood actress who rose to fame in the 90’s, just added on another name to it: Sushant Singh Rajput. Such times, such reflections only prove that being successful does not prevent a person from feeling unfulfilled or unhappy.
Rajput, who started as a TV actor, made his Bollywood debut in 2013 with director Abhishek Kapoor in Kai Po Che! (I have cut), based on a novel by Chetan Bhagat. Rajput played former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the 2016 film MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. Among his other movies are Kedarnath, Sonchiriya (Golden Bird) and Raabta (Connection). He was last seen in the 2019 Netflix film, Drive.
Celebrity from the aura that he carried with himself, playing the character of a perfect ‘good life’ for the world against the magenta walls and a leather scuff sofa in his living room that one could spot in his various photoshoots, Rajput wasn’t really living the ‘dream life’, when it was a cut from a scene during the shoots, it really was a cut for him, he wasn’t what he portrayed to the world, else I’m sure he wouldn’t have taken the step, he felt was right, because he couldn’t find any other outlet. He was a human being, underneath all of the images of him. He was himself underneath all of that. Sushant did give a subtle voice for help, in his interview with DNA talking about loss of his mother and how acting only keeps him busy, distracted and get away. How nothing excites him anymore…Every one of us is suffering with something or the other. And there’s nobody to talk to because people don’t listen...and those who do are more eager to give an opinionated answer instead of just listening. 
I do not wish to write rest in peace. In a world that doesn’t let you live in peace, rest in peace sounds like such a pretence.