Karan Johar admits to undergoing treatment for depression for almost two years
Mumbai: While numerous celebrities have spoken about not being able to live up to the pressure associated with the film industry, the issue got highlighted when a popular actress Deepika Padukone had admitted to going through depression some time ago. And now, one of the most popular filmmakers Karan Johar has also followed suit, saying that he suffered from depression and underwent treatment for it for a period of one and half years before finally winning over it.
"I have read people speaking openly about their depression. There was a phase in my life, when I was really depressed. When I went through that phase, I thought I am getting a cardiac arrest. I felt it in middle of a meeting two and half years ago, after which I left the meeting in between saying I have something urgent to do and rushed to the doctor. He then said I am having an anxiety attack. I went to a psychologist post that. Then I realized that I had some internal issues to deal with, which got built up to such a point that it resulted into anxiety," Karan said in an interview with Barkha Dutt for NDTV.
The film industry is considered to be extremely competitive, where box office success, number of films in kitty and brand endorsements all become aspects behind determining the success of a celebrity. That is one of the reasons several stars from Bollywood as well as the television industry have admitted to suffering from depression, with several of them losing all hope and committing suicide.
Karan added, "I went through a series of anti-anxiety medication for it. A year and a half post that, when I stopped it, I realized that I am in a much better place. Today I actually feel the emotion of excitement and happiness. When you go through it, you stop feeling that zing of emotion. Today, I am getting all of them back," he said.
Karan’s father, producer Yash Johar’s death and his fear of the future and fear of not being able to find a life partner and other internal issues were the reasons that led to the piling up of emotions in his mind.
"Those sessions (medication) made a big difference to me. During those sessions, we touched on many things of my life. I felt that I did not deal entirely with the loss of my father, though it's been 11 or 12 years, I felt the pain and hurt of certain relationships that had dwindled from my life and I was carrying all that baggage. And the fear of future, the fear that I was not being able to find a life partner. At one point, the lack of love in my life was really bothering me. Today I feel a lot more free of it. I feel there are loads of other things to look forward to," he explained.
Coming from a film industry and having been a producer for so long, Karan has always been surrounded by films and the glamour associated with it. He said, "We live in this bubble all the time as we talk film, we eat film and sleep film and as a result we build up emotions, which we don't know are really those for the films or you take those when you don't work together. So you land up wondering about every equation you make in the movie industry.”
He further spoke about his loneliness because of not being in a relationship currently.
"At 44, when you are lonely and not in a relationship, you wonder what your life is going to be and all the success you might get and all the love and attention you get, where does that go? When you don't have that love to share with somebody, it gets you worried."
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