I would suffer bouts of depression: Vivan Bhathena opens up like never before

Actor Vivan Bhathena became a father in 2019, however, soon the nation went into lockdown in March 2020. What bummed him further was that the lockdown occurred just when his film Sooryavanshi was releasing in the theatres. The lockdown did take a toll on his mental health. “I won’t lie it did. I would suffer certain bouts of depression,” he confesses.

For Bhathena it was the uncertainty of his profession and the new added responsibility that made the pandemic more difficult for him. “The financial implications became difficult for me. It’s not a joke to raise a child, especially when you want to give the child the best,” shares Bhathena. He further elaborates, “We lost several actors from the industry due to financial pressure. I don’t think half of them even got reported. People see the outside world of us actors, but they don’t see the anxiety we go through. When everything just comes to a standstill, you don’t know where you’re headed, that can take a toll on you mentally.”

The actor lost two projects in the pandemic and the dearth of good offers bogged him down. “Actors are a hand-to-mouth community. We are also struggling to get work. Especially when you know that there are so many opportunities and you’re still not getting any (offers) then it becomes very frustrating,” he explains. Bhathena however, “learned to channel” his stress: “I was channeling it into my writing.”

Bhathena’s wife Nikhila Bhathena, a working professional, has been his pillar of support since the time, they met and she continued being so. “My wife was supportive. She said we’ll make it work. She took care of the financial burden or else don’t know how I would have handled the pressure,” he ends.