The dark stage

Shakun Sethi,choreographer and event manager
The glamour world is full of pressure. It’s worse than a rat race. People really have to live up to expectations. There’s acknowledgment of work,yes,but this industry doesn’t give you the luxury of taking that acknowledgment for granted. The scenario is such that every relationship is for a purpose. If you lose out on certain people,you’re finished! Unlike normal people,celebrities have very commercial relationships which lead to jealousy and outrageous competition. All these factors add to the individual’s stress and result in depression and suicides. It’s desperation that drives them to take such extreme steps. The problem also lies in other lifestyle issues like heavy drinking and smoking.

Amit Lulla,model
Models come to Mumbai from different parts of the country and world. They then have to work through contacts which is tough. Modelling isn’t a 9-5 job; one has to keep travelling and giving auditions. Two years back,while giving auditions in Mumbai,I got depressed because I faced certain situations and realised that to move up the ladder,you have to compromise. Also,I’ve noticed that a successful model cannot manage his/her personal life very well. That’s because they meet so many other attractive people and thus keep jumping from one relationship to another. They hardly enjoy a stable relationship. This upsets their balance. I don’t know why Viveka Babajee committed suicide but I do think that these aspects of the profession were partially responsible.

Ritika Ramtri,pageant coach
I don’t believe that suicides occur only in this profession. It’s only because they’re celebrities that their suicides get reported faster. Yes,models like Nafisa Joseph and now Viveka Babajee have done it,but there are so many models who haven’t. Agreed that there’s too much competition but the same is true for the corporate world too. Models are human beings,and failure can hit anybody. They live in metropolitan cities,away from friends and family,and are lonely. Also,in their line,they don’t settle into stable relationships or marriage and this could have an indirect impact on their psyche. Moreover,in Viveka’s case,she was 30-plus and still modelling,and that is quite stressful as there’s so much competition from younger models. What is required is proper guidance and individual strength.

Arnavaz Damania, founder and trustee,Connecting NGO
Our helplines at Connecting are open for all – normal people as well as celebrities. We never come to know who calls as we believe in respecting their privacy. We are always there for celebrities who need help. We have group therapies as well as therapy for parents and survivors. The problem is that nobody comes forward and says that “Yes,I knew so and so who committed suicide.” See celebrities are human beings and they go through too much pressure in their profession. The general notion is that they are celebrities so nothing should and could go wrong with them. Normal people,during distressing times,say ‘That’s life’ and they move on. However,celebrities are used to being successful and thus even a minor failure like a break-up can really pull them down.