A Star Will Fall For You ⭐

Speaking your heart out!

Virat and Kyra were seated in the common hall listening to the patients sharing their heart wrenching stories, inspiring stories, stories of fighting back, silent tears were falling out of every pair of eyes in the room.

After a while, Virat looked at Kyra, she was teary eyed and lost, maybe remembering her own struggle. Virat cleared his throat to get her attention. When she still seemed lost, Virat called out slowly, "Kyra..." Kyra was snapped back to reality, she looked at Virat. "I am going to the stage to talk to everyone. Some of them already know my story. After me, I would like you to share your experience. Would you be comfortable? I don't want to force you."

Kyra was touched by his concern. She gave him a small smile and said, "I was hesitant before but after being here, listening to everyone, I feel strong enough to share my story with them. These people here have been through so much, are going through so much, my pain seems very less in front of theirs, I would be glad if they feel even a little better by listening to me."

Virat smiled at her, "That's like a strong girl!" He was on the stage in no time and began addressing everyone.
"Hi guys, how is everyone? I can see many new faces, some old faces. I am Virat Oberoi, a small TV actor and a regular here. I love this place. This place gave me the strength to bounce back. The people here have helped me so much, they have brought me back from a shattered phase, a phase which I would never want to remember, yet I do everytime I feel weak or I doubt myself. Because thinking of it, gives me the feeling that if I can fight and come out of it, I can do everything. What you are feeling right now, I want to tell you I have been there, I know how it feels. I want to tell you it is completely okay to not feel okay, there is nothing wrong in it. We are humans, we are flawed, we have emotions. But at the same time, the strength to make everything okay also lies within us."

Kyra was amazed at how confident Virat was. She was continuously staring at him, she was caught by Virat, but he just smiled at her, Kyra looked down to hide her flushed face.

Virat continued talking, "I was diagnosed with clinical depression 2 years ago. I was doing a show and my character was a very intense one who was going through a breakup and his girl was married off to someone else. The story got too dark and I had to shoot back to back intensely emotional scenes almost everyday. It got into me to the extent that I stopped using glycerine, I used to cry naturally. People on the set applauded my acting skills, I got awards. But no one noticed how it was affecting me. It wasn't their fault though, I wasn't myself aware of what was going on with me. There came a time when I couldn't switch off from the character even after pack up. I used to be with the same gloomy feeling all the time. I couldn't sleep for days at a stretch. It gradually started affecting my health. Since it was a daily show, I got no breaks.

As a result, I fainted on the sets one day. I was rushed to the hospital, the doctor after discussing with me in detail came to the conclusion that I needed help. I was prescribed anti depressants and therapy sessions. The storyline of the show had to be modified to justify my absence for few days. I gradually started shooting again after a few days when I felt better. But my doctors had advised not to stress myself, I thought I wasn't able to do justice to the character and decided to quit the show. I felt really bad as it was a famous show, the story had a lot of scope but health had to be given importance.

For a year, I did only episodic series or web series because I was not in a state to commit myself to daily shows or shows that ran for a long time. I lost out on really good opportunities and felt helpless. I felt insecure too that maybe I will be a forgotten name in the industry. But my doctors, Hope foundation, my family helped me out. They made me realize these things can come back but health has to be prioritized. Especially mental health.

I meditated, went on solo trips, trips with friends, spent time with my family and did few short shows too. Now since a year, I am back with a bang professionally too. I am doing two shows that are topping the TRP charts, I feel so much better, my meds have been stopped, I feel at peace mentally. I try to detach from the character as soon as pack up is announced. I read books, listen to peaceful songs in breaks between shots.