Arjun Bijlani On Kushal Punjabi’s Death: “You Can’t Open Up About Depression Because It May Make You Lose On The Chance Of Getting Work”

Actor Kushal Punjabi’s suicide has brought the issue of mental health in showbiz, particularly the television industry to the forefront. Actor Arjun Bijlani says people in the TV industry cannot talk openly about depression because it might hamper their chances of getting work.

“The industry is a very catch-22 situation. You can’t open up because you feel then whatever little chance you have of getting work, you would lose it. People won’t give you work because they’ll think you’re depressed. It’s a very weird situation for actors sometimes. They want to open up but they can’t, they don’t trust anybody, it’s a sad state actually,” said Arjun.

“The solution is that we, as a society, need to change. There should be more awareness about depression, there should be centres and these centre numbers must be sent to everybody. If you are depressed and you are going through anything and you feel suicidal, then please contact this number. There should be these numbers where at least someone can call up and talk to you during those moments,” added the Naagin actor.

Arjun also feels that social media is a major cause for depression.

“Nowadays, because of social media, I think a lot of people just see everybody’s posts and they feel that the person is so happy. And seeing someone so happy kind of makes you more depressed than what you already are. You feel that everything is only going wrong in your life and everything is going right in somebody else’s life. But not everything that shines is gold. I think social media is playing a very dominant role today in people’s lives.