World Mental Health Day: As Friday marks World Mental Health Day 2025, Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone opened up about the time when she faced skepticism after launching her Live Love Laugh Foundation (LLL) in 2015. This move came after she opened up about her struggle with depression. 10 years after the launch, she now looked back and revealed how she prepared herself for the mixed reactions.
Deepika Padukone on mental health
Talking to CNBC- TV18, Deepika Padukone, who struggles with her mental health, revisited the time when she decided to help people like her. She said, “I still remember that first meeting in my home at the dining table. It was just the three of us — myself, Dr Shyam, and Anna Chandy — who were also the people I went to when I was seeking help. I called them over, and we sat together, and I said, ‘I want to do something for mental health in India.’”
“All I know is that it was a deeply personal experience, and just going public with my experience was not enough. I knew very early on that this was something I wanted to share with the world, but also to do something more,” she added.
When people thought Deepika Padukone was ‘paid’ for talking about mental health
Padukone recalled preparing herself and her team for the mixed reactions to her initiative and even her story.
“There was also a lot of scepticism when we started — about a celebrity coming out and sharing her experience with mental illness. Was it a publicity stunt? Was she being paid by a pharmaceutical company? We had to deal with all of that. I remember saying to the team even then, we just need to put our heads down and continue to do the work.”
The actor pointed out that COVID-19 made it easier for people to recognise mental illness and related issues, which cannot be seen like a physical illness.
8-hour work demand controversy
In the same conversation, she also addressed the controversy around her demand for 8 hours of work. For the unversed, Padukone’s exit from two major projects- Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD sequel was announced over her work hour demand.
On the work front, now Deepika Padukone will be next seen in the upcoming film King, alongside Shah Rukh Khan.
