Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 20, 2020)

“Being in the limelight, actors are talked about more than others. But people in other fields, too, go through depression,” says actor Jimmy Sheirgill, reacting to the tragic death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, which has put the focus back on mental health.

He adds, “I agree that we need to talk more about mental health issues and get help for those who need it. But often, we take the issue into different directions and tangents, and the main topic — which is mental health — gets diluted.”

As nepotism and camps in Bollywood sidelining talented actors is being talked about once again, the Tanu Weds Manu (2011) actor says he has seen many highs and lows in his career. “There could be a number of reasons for losing out on a film, such as a director choosing their favourite actor, which could be me, or an actor having multiple commitments. It is not that someone didn’t want me in a camp so I didn’t get a film; that is a wrong way of looking at things, I feel. Even if someone did so with me, no one told me directly that ‘I don’t want you to do well so I won’t cast you’... I’ve never paid attention to such things,” Sheirgill says.

The 49-year-old points out that his mantra in life has been to keep working and moving on, and also shares that being a family man has helped him lead a balanced life. He says, “Work has always brought me joy. One shouldn’t lose heart, but wait for the next good opportunity. Everyone goes through highs and lows in careers, but most of us are lucky to have families to go back to... People used to ask me why I wasn’t seen at parties and events, and I would say that after work, I like going back to my family. That part of my life has somewhere helped me in keeping a balance in life, between work and family.”