Tushar Joshi (DNA; February 9, 2015)

Remember when Deepika Padukone tweeted about supporting the cause of mental illness earlier this year? And how, she shared in an interview that she had been struggling with depression for over a year, and took medication? Well, what if we told you that it wasn’t just Deepika who was struggling, but also her beau Ranveer Singh?

A source close to the actress says, “Deepika was suffering, it’s true, but what no one knows is that Ranveer was the one who was disturbed and was seeking help. Deepika saw that he was having a tough time trying to come to terms with the suicide of a friend, who was dealing with depression. The friend shot himself last year, minutes after putting up a status on Facebook saying he was going to kill himself. But before any of his family members or friends could reach him, he had pulled the trigger. Those close to the deceased blamed themselves for not being able to help or doing enough or just being there with him.”

Adds the source, “Ranveer doesn’t like to show his emotions in public, but people close to him, especially Deepika knew that this tragedy had hit him hard. She saw him struggle with his grief mixed with guilt. He even saw a therapist for a while. Deepika was his silent support at the time, and she saw first-hand how depression was a serious disorder. Perhaps that pushed her to talk about this issue. No one is denying that she too perhaps was going through the same thing, but her decision to address depression publicly had a lot to do with Ranveer and his friend who lost his life to the illness.” Whatever the cause, it’s the effect that matters. Awareness, in this case, can save lives. And that is the most important takeaway from Deepika’s admission