THROWBACK: When Deepika Padukone appealed to have a mental health professional on film sets

Deepika Padukone is one of the most successful Indian actresses with a career spanning more than a decade and a half. Her career story is a perfect example of an actress who made it big in the movie industry as she started with television commercials, modelling and background dancing, then a role in a Kannada film and then the big Diwali release with Shah Rukh Khan. The actress has been a part of some of the most iconic films like Om Shanti Om, Chennai Express, Ram Leela, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat and has also been a part of path breaking films like Chhapaak, Finding Fanny and Piku in her illustrious career. She ventured into film production with her production house KA Productions and has produced high on content films like Chhapaak and 83. She made her presence felt in Hollywood with XXX: Return Of Xander Cage and will very soon be seen in another Hollywood movie on the cross-cultural theme, whose details have been kept under wraps. 

Deepika Padukone’s views on have a mental health professional on-sets:

In a throwback interview, Deepika talked about the importance of mental health and the need for a mental health professional on sets. When she was asked about how much further she thought the society needed to go in terms of a more thorough portrayal of mental health in Indian cinema and how they’d get there, Deepika Padukone replied, “understanding and empathy”. She said that if an actor were portraying a character with a physical ailment, for example, they would do their research and due diligence in order to discern exactly how to depict their condition. The same courtesy needs to be extended to mental illnesses. According to her the actors, writers and directors shouldn’t be winging it. “We should afford the same honesty and authenticity to characters with mental illnesses as we do to biopics.”

Deepika Padukone further added that one thing she personally hoped in the next few years was to have a therapist present on the film sets. She appealed, “We have a doctor on set, so I don’t see why we can’t have a mental health professional too. During Chhapaak (2020), I brought on a therapist for myself because there were days where I would have a panic attack or feel claustrophobic” 

Deepika Padukone’s Upcoming Projects:

Deepika Padukone, who was last seen in the direct to digital release Gehraiyaan, is having a busy shoot year. The actress will next be seen alongside Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham in Sidharth Anand’s directorial Pathaan. Her other projects include Sidharth Anand’s Fighter with Hrithik Roshan and Anil Kapoor, Nag Ashwin’s Project K with Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan, the remake of The Intern with Amitabh Bachchan and a cross-cultural Hollywood film mounted on a massive scale. With her association in such massive films, one can be absolutely sure that Deepika Padukone is going to keep headlining in the times to come.

Also read: Deepika Padukone slays in an oversized shirt & denim as she gets spotted at the airport; PHOTOS