She was four months shy of her 25th birthday when Pratyusha Banerjee was found dead hanging from the ceiling of her flat in Mumbai on April 1. The young woman with a pretty face was a household name in television entertainment, and not a struggling actor fighting for a toehold in the industry. She had a long life ahead of her and dreams to fulfil. But Pratyusha is gone now, and that is the truth — however shocking it might be.
For the teeming millions who were mesmerised by her performance as the lead actor in the serial Balika Vadhu, hers was a life of glitz, glamour, money and adulation. On the face of it, it was an enchanting life that many aspire to but only a handful actually get to live. Well, the truth is — and it comes with fatal reminders time and again — the world of make-believe is as fragile as a soap bubble, lasting till the arc lamps are shining and the last shot of the day is canned. Beneath the layers of pancake is a face that’s scared to confront the harsh and unsparing reality. Beyond the dazzling fame is a life consumed by loneliness and insecurities — an all-powerful genie trapped behind the bars of celebrityhood, waiting, perhaps unknowingly, to be liberated from the prison of success that he/she willingly stepped into.
It took tremendous courage for Deepika Padukone to admit in public that she was suffering from depression. On top of her game, she could have easily hidden her vulnerabilities from the world — depression is a dreaded word even for lesser mortals who prefer to keep their psychological ailments under wraps for fear of ostracism. Padukone has done a huge service to millions of people by being candid. If she can, then we too can, and without fear!
Fame has claimed many lives; success that comes easily and early in life can become a cyanide pill for those who either can’t handle it or fails to come to grips with failure. Divya Bharti at the peak of her film career committed suicide! Often, as in the case of Kurt Cobain, the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band Nirvana, it’s fuelled by drug abuse. Tamil sex symbol, Silk Smitha, turned into an alcoholic and snuffed out her own life when she found her popularity declining. VJ, actress and former Miss India, Nafisa Joseph, embraced death when she was of Pratyusha’s age, calling it quits in an identical manner 12 years ago. Jiah Khan’s demise is still shrouded in mystery, and she left the world pretty young. The dream-churning factories in India and abroad have many sad and shocking tales of suicide. The world woke up with a jolt when the immensely popular and much respected Hollywood star, Robin Williams, committed suicide, unable to cope with depression and Parkinson’s disease.
Pratyusha’s death has given birth to many conspiracy theories, but the fact remains that what appears picture-perfect on screen is far removed from reality. Aspiring and successful actors, struggling and accomplished fashion models, all go through the same grind in varying degrees. The heady cocktail of fame and money can leave a lasting hangover; the air-kissing, red carpet and flashbulbs go hand-in-hand with obscurity. It’s a high-stakes game and not everybody can withstand the wear and tear, mental agony and the gnawing fear of failure. Death, then, becomes an escape route. Pratyusha may have thought that she entered stardom with a bang, and her life must end in an equally spectacular manner! In death, she once again became the talk of the town. Today, everyone is discussing how she had suffered all this while, that she was a victim of domestic abuse and besieged by financial troubles. It’s too late now.
