Entertainment
Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise alarms a talk about mental health issues in the country
It was a heartbreaking moment for the nation yesterday when the news broke out about the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput. This very talented, the 34-year-old actor took his own life. As distressing and unexpected this loss was, Sushant as an individual has been battling depression and mental health issues. His passing away raised several concerns in the country and the Hindi film industry about the seriousness of the mental illness
Importance of Mental health
Mental health as an issue in our country has always been stigmatized, and to date, it is not openly talked about from our core levels, i.e. at homes and educational institutions. Sushant’s demise pointed a finger at all our faces and questioned about the ardent need to address mental health issues in this country.
Lockdown as a phase itself can be brutally challenging for someone who is going through a tough time mentally. Living alone with your disturbing thoughts and having to deal with them every day is one of the reasons why a discussion about the post-pandemic situation of mental health must be one of our top agendas.
How the Film Industry reacted to the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput
The entirety of the Bollywood fraternity expressed their grievances. Stars like Shruti Hassan, Priyanka Chopra, Mahesh Bhatt, and Deepika Padukone expressed their condolences on social media handles and highlighted the importance of mental health.
Deepika Padukone in her Instagram post wrote “As a person who has had a lived experience with mental illness, I cannot stress enough about the importance of reaching out. Talk. Communicate. Express. Seek help.”
Karan Johar also put out a heartfelt post where he commented “I blame myself for not being in touch with you for the past year. I have felt at times like you may have needed people to share your life with but somehow I never followed up on that feeling. Will never make that mistake again.”
Wake- up call for the Hindi Film Industry
This raises an urgent need for the fraternity that claims itself to be an extended family to stand up for their people and support them rationally. It also means calling everyone out and disassociating people with unacceptable behaviour. This comes from the fact that stars like Sooraj Pancholi continue to remain a part of the industry despite having major links to the death of the actress Jia Khan.
The problem with assuming the cause of death
Drawing attention to the current scenario, Bollywood as an industry is taxing as you have to constantly keep up with the public image the media and your audience expects. All the stardom, the fame comes at a grave cost, sometimes at your well-being. Opening up about personal issues is considered to be a stigma as it is often attached to the frame of being pretentious and seeking attention. This was well proven yesterday when certain media houses began probing the cause of the suicide and passed insensitive comments wondering how someone so successful could have mental health issues.
This is where; we as a so-called advanced society have gone wrong. People fail to realize that anxiety and depression have no possible connection with how successful or established you are, professionally. Having good mental health is a separate struggle by itself. With this pandemic and a frustrating lockdown, things do start to get worse as you are detached from your daily way of life.
Sushant Singh Rajput in an interview with Hindustan Times in 2017 had commented on this topic. He said, “Who says actors are maintaining their mental health? That’s a wrong belief. The most important thing that an actor could do to protect himself from all these things (pressures, demands, paparazzi culture, etc) is just to know why a person is doing what he is doing.”
As an actor, he played timeless versatile characters that strike a chord every time we watch his works. We now have to come to terms with the fact that ‘the untold story’ is of now perhaps about Sushant himself more than anyone else. Things he hid from the world and battled with it all alone.
His character in Chhichhore taught us volumes about how to enjoy life as it comes and prepared us to battle suicidal thoughts. He gave us such a powerful message, something that probably came from within as he knew exactly what it looked and how it felt like.
We mourn the huge loss of this star who rose to fame solely with his dedication and talent amidst the nepotistic Bollywood industry.
Indeed, we never know how a person exactly feels. Hence, Sushant’s unfortunate demise is a wake-up call for all of us to take mental health issues seriously and summon the entire system that questions your suicide but does not care to look at the deep-rooting causes of it. It cannot be stressed enough on how therapy and professional help must be widely encouraged to help people battle their internal storms. Because it is okay to not be okay!
The Popularity of the Spanish sportsman, Rafael Nadal in the tennis world is well-known. His dominance over the French Open over all these years is also not new, since any seasons he has shown why he should be considered for the tag of greatness. In the 2020s French, Open Nadal delivered a clear dominant with scores 6-0, 6-2, 7-5, over Novak Djokovic. Djokovic praised Nadal by saying, “He keeps going. No holding him back, it seems like. It’s amazing. I mean, I admire all his achievements”
Reactions after the win
With these outstanding scores, he is now tied with Roger Federer at 20 major singles championships, which is more than any player achieved in the tennis history. Due to two back-to-back Knee surgeries Federer who is 39 years at the moment, sat out both the U.S. Open and French Open. But after Nadal’s win he posted a congratulatory note on Instagram:
“I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion. As my greatest rival over many years, I believe we have pushed each other to become better players,” Federer began, ending with: “I hope 20 is just another step on the continuing journey for both of us. Well done, Rafa. You deserve it.”
After the victory, Nadal himself commented that “(To) win here means everything to me, no? It’s not the moment, honestly … (to) think today about the 20th,” and went on to say, “Roland Garros means everything to me. I spent, here, the most important moments — or most of the most important moments — in my tennis career, no doubt about that.”
At the moment he is ranked second, after his French Win. But if Djokovic won this season then the trio, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic will be standing at 20-19-18. But with Nadal’s win, it brought him closer to break another historic record.
The record he has made is extraordinary and unbelievable but then there are certain factors that contribute to it. Nadal is known as the king of clays since his early childhood planning tennis. He plays best on the best on the red surface and Heavy topspin forehands, incredible defense and a position way behind the baseline make him undefeatable. Nadal is a left-handed player which benefits him immensely, maybe that is the reason behind several wins. His left-hand strikes give him certain unique angles that the opponent is often seen at a loss.
Final Words
Since he is playing from a very early age, he has sustained several injuries. One of the most severe ones was in his knees (Tendinitis). The specialists of the Tennis world have always pondered upon a singular thought: what would have Nadal achieved if he was free of pain and several injuries?
It is explicitly clear that the man was born to reign the Tennis Court while he plays. His fitness, strength, skills, and attitude that goes beyond the court boundary also contribute to his victory.
What started as a murder mystery related to the death of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has now turned into a hunt for Bollywood Drug Nexus. During the interrogation of Rhea Chakraborty, few of WhatsApp chat messages were retrieved which game indication to drug consumptions by the Late Actor as well as people linked to him. Many of A-list Bollywood actors and managers were summoned by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for questioning.
Some of the actors who were Shraddha Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, manager Krishnma Prakash and Kshitij Prasad. One round of questioning is already done by the NCB but it said that the actors may have to be questioned again. Many people took to social media to extend support towards the actors. Karan Johar, who is the owner of Dharma Productions after the arrest of Kshitij Prasad broke his silence about the drug case.
Latest Update
- Shraddha Kapoor who shared the big screen with Sushant Singh Rajput in Chhichhore confessed that Sushant Singh Rajput used to consume drugs in his vanity van during the process of filming but she vehemently denies consuming anything of that sort. When the NCB questioned her about the party that SSR threw in his Pawana guesthouse, she stated that the party had just weed and alcohol; no drugs were present in the scene.
- Deepika Padukone was questioned by NCB for 5 long hours where she accepted that the part related to WhatsApp group but denied drug consumption. NCB did not give the nuances of the interrogation.
- Krishnma Prakash is the former manager of Deepika Padukone who was part of the WhatsApp group where procuring hash was discussed.
- Sara Ali Khan’s name got involved with this drug case when Rhea Chakroborty claimed that Sara Ali Khan used to consume drugs along with her and SSR. When interrogated Sara Ali Khan denied consuming drugs but revealed that she dated the late actor briefly during their “Kedarnath” Shoot.
- Kshitij Prasad is a former producer of Dharmatic Entertainment – a sister concern of Dharma Productions was arrested in FIR 16/2020 of NCB Mumbai zonal unit. He was supposedly involved with the major drug peddlers of Mumbai region. When interrogated by NCB, Prasad stated that he only used to procure drugs for his own consumption.
Final Words
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) released a statement saying that the interrogation and the answers of the actors cannot be revealed, it will be directly submitted in the court. “The actresses have denied taking drugs. We may serve them a summons for further questioning if we find new evidence. Their questioning is over for now,” and that they think there might be a link between Shraddha Kapoor’s and Sara Ali Khan’s case. All the actors have denied using any form of drugs, they even went ahead to claim that they do not even indulge in the activity of smoking. The main aim of NCB is to bring down the “drug Nexus” that is functional in Bollywood.
Indian Premier League is one of the most-awaited and thrilling events that the citizens of India wait for throughout the year. Like most of the previous IPL seasons, this year also brought jitters, cringe moments, moments of fun and cheer but most importantly a Plethora of memes. Memes are the new trend that is raging the internet, be it for positive notions or negative. The incident with Rahul Tewatia slings clearly to the positive and the brighter side.
In the match between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, the latter team reached a mind-numbing scored which exceeded beyond 200 runs. The credit for this goes to none other than Mayank Agarwal who scored a quick century. When it was time for Tewatia’s batting, people became thought Rajasthan Royals will lose the match because the batsman kept missing the balls and had just 8 runs in 19 balls. But to the utter surprise of everyone, when Sheldon Cottrell came to bowl, Tewatia’s luck got the best of the situation. Tewatia hit five sixes in 6 balls. If this is not turning the game around, then I don’t know what it is.
Right after that the world of social media flooded its platform with positive memes.
Here Are Some Memes That Will Definitely Crack You Up
A Bit of Fun- This picture is taken from the famous comedy show “Comedy Nights with Kapil”. The picture itself is quite self- explanatory
“Hera Pheri” Fans round up
Hulk all the way – Tewatia is clearly being compared to the “smash” version of Hulk.
Leonardo Dicaprio to the rescue
The memes that were created after the win of Rajasthan Royals surely kept the spirits of the game active. The fun banter between both the teams was a pleasure to watch as well. We hope to see more such incidents.
Edward Tufte said, “There are only two industries that call their customers ‘users’: illegal drugs and software”. The new Netflix original documentary by jeff Orlowski “the social dilemma” brings to you the dark side of the social media that keeps you addicted to a virtual world. It is a well-documented and a very staunch portrayal of social media.
It explores the spooky side of these platforms which has the capability to manipulate and psychologically affect human beings from people who have closely worked in these industries. These people talk about the distress they felt when they worked for something. How it is taking hold of an individual’s life and play around with it to earn profit to become the most successful industries in the history of humankind. This group of people is from social media giants like Google, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and many others.
What is the “dilemma”?
As the name suggests, it talks about the dilemma that is social media. I talked to one of my friends from school today, she is doing fine and told me about this new show she is watching. Well, I also saw stumbled upon celebrity news casually scrolling which by the way, has no use for me. Now, that is the dilemma we are talking about. The documentary talks about our heavy dependence on social media in today’s world and how we fell prey to this trap. In today’s world, it is not possible for one to totally isolate themselves from social media.
All our work has come to Gmail, Pinterest is the world of ideas, and for much social media is the workplace. We found all our old friends on social media and stay connected with our family and friends. But at the same time, we can’t put our down at the dinner table to have an actual conversation with our family. This dilemma is really where we can’t go with just the good part, we will take along the repercussion as well. This is the question this documentary puts out there. The dilemma of good and bad. But the question is, “is the payoff of good is enough to compensate for the cost of bad”?
What are these “bad”?
Now, how this social media is affecting you? Manipulation of the Human brain, social media is a world of ideas and how these ideas are presented to you is based on an algorithm that is up to the maker of these platforms to decide. This sequence and control over what one is coming across leads to restricting the way one thinks and builds is the point of view.
Social media has been used as a weapon by many people to pour out false information that is provocative, degrading, and spread negativity across communities resulting in things like riots, violent actions, and sometimes even things like mass killings. We came across this kind of news almost every day. Content related to ideal beauty types, body shaming, hate comments, and constant exposure to advertisements are all constantly floating on social media specifically affecting teenagers and the young generation.
These algorithms work to keep you looking at your screen and is an addiction that needs to be addressed. Unknowingly, social media is affecting all aspects of our life It puts a threat on democracy, increase depression, and even suicides, mob violence, etc. it has also lead to people losing contact from the actual world. Addiction to devices has distanced families and also affects other relationships which are totally opposite to the way humans are supposed to behave, humans as a species are supposed to be open-minded, dynamic, and communicative. Not to just hide behind screens.
Final words
Jeff Orlowski has very rightly called it the social dilemma. But at the end of the day, it’s in our hands that how do we want to live How do we want ideas to come to us and how we decide to act to them. All of this can be summed up in one last question – whether we want to live a life that is influenced by people around us, with a wide range of ideas on all aspects from all sources, not just a few selected ones, or a life that is operated by an algorithm.
Seeing the current situation, it was evident from the very onset that there were going to be major changes in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), one of the most anticipated events in the sports work. But what the audience did not expect is the fake additional cheers. The current IPL is being held at empty stadiums in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah and the management is doing their best to keep it virus free.
They aim of the added IPL Fake Crowd cheers and shouts of joy were meant to make the matches livelier, much like how it is done for sitcoms where we see fake laughter in the background. Many people compared the match to the popular sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S which is known for its background laugh. But what seems to work for the show did not work for IPL. People took it to social media platforms like twitter, Instagram and Facebook to criticize the move and made memes out of it.
Some of the most famous memes
Which Peshwa are you?
The old meme which is eternal
Hang in there audience
Nothing beats stand-up comedy
Overreaction is a way of life
Bollywood is here to up the meme game
The contexts of the memes are extremely self-explanatory. All of the above memes compares the fake artificial cheers to some bizarre or exaggerated situations to extract humor. Many audiences took to Twitter to complain about the same. One person wrote, “Do you need further proof that this is more about entertainment and less about cricket when there is a need to add the fake sound of audience cheering when the game is being played in front of empty stands!”
But all these issues where overshadowed by CSK’s win.
