Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 17, 2020)

While actors enjoy the highs of being stars in the world of entertainment, it is not just about the glitz and glamour but also a number of pitfalls lurking. There are many factors that are stressful and affect the mental health of actors including professional lows.

Actor Kubbra Sait admits that acting is a business of survival and we should change that. “Everyone is doing all that they can to survive in this industry. I can’t afford to have a bad day at work because I will be called ‘difficult to work with’. People love bitching about others for fun,” she says, advising, having a strong support system helps.

Actor Sumeet Vyas agrees, and shares, “As an actor, we are constantly pitching for jobs or switching them and some work and others don’t, which affects us too.” Movies not working at the box-office or an actor not getting the role they were trying for, weighs on their mind. Sumeet adds, “There’s a lot of money and expectation riding on a person. It is hard to take a defeat and move on. Focusing on one’s craft helps you not be that affected because it does, no matter how good or how successful you are.”

Actor Divya Dutta, calls people in the industry “bravehearts” and says being an actor is a lonely journey. She reveals, “We are smiling always in public, and it is not just glamour but a ton of hard work and mental pressure too, and one has to be sorted to deal with it. When you are successful, there is pressure to maintain it because you don’t know if you will be able to live a life which is not ‘that successful’.”

Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya admits that even while being surrounded by thousands of people, an actors’ struggles and failures are “very intrinsic and personal experiences”. “While their success is celebrated by all, an artiste has to be lucky to have true well wishers who are not affected by the limelight. Family and friends help in a person being grounded,” she says, adding actors should consciously take better care of their finances for rainy days.