A star no more: Uday Kiran

From reaching the pinnacle of glory in filmdom to leading life as a struggling actor, Uday Kiran���s story was no less dramatic than the movies he starred in.
Showbiz can be cruel. Beneath the gloss and the glamour lies insecurity and fear. When the flashbulbs stop clicking, the stark reality of being ���ordinary��� sinks in. And the story was no different in the case of actor Uday Kiran,who decided to end his life early on Monday morning, leaving the film industry shocked.
According to police, the actor was depressed as his career was going through a lean phase. Dubbed the ���hat-trick hero���, Uday���s rise to stardom was as dramatic a tale as any of his films. He burst on to the scene with Chitram, in 2000, which set the cash registers ringing.
His subsequent big screen outings, Nuvvu Nenu and Manasantha Nuvve were super hits at the box office. In an industry like Tollywood, this was quite a feat, as Uday came from a humble background with no filmi connections whatsoever. With three superhits under his belt, Uday captured the imagination of the Telugu movie audience, who propelled him to stardom overnight.
���I have personally experienced the kind of stardom Uday enjoyed. We were in Vizag once and he waved out to the crowd. That one wave caused a traffic jam for almost 2 kms!��� recalls actor Navdeep, who knew Uday closely. This early meteoric rise ensured that Uday was billed as the next big thing in Tollywood. So grand was his entry that he managed to impress Megastar Chiranjeevi as well.
Uday made headlines in 2003 with the announcement of his engagement to Chiru's elder daughter Sushmita. All set to become part of one of Tollywood���s most illustrious families, Uday seemed to be making all the right moves. Life seemed rosy, and there seemed to be no stopping this affable young man���s success. But soon, things began to unravel as quickly as stardom came to him. Uday���s engagement to Sushmita was called off for reasons best known to both parties. Subsequently, his films started failing one after the other, and soon,he faded into oblivion.
But through it all, Uday hoped to redeem his filmi career, to gain back lost glory, someday. But what he wasn���t prepared for was failure ��� the fact that he would be relegated to the fringes of the industry. Uday could never come to terms with the reality that he wasn���t a ���star��� anymore. ���Uday only experienced highs from the moment he stepped into the industry. With three back-to back hits, his view of life in showbiz was very one-sided. He couldn���t deal with the lows, which are a part-and-parcel of life here. He failed to come to terms with the fact that there is a new hero born every Friday,��� says Navdeep.
With failure came depression and the baggage of carrying a ���flop��� tag. ���In showbiz, everything is exaggerated. You are under constant public scrutiny. If you do well, everyone adores you.You will never have one moment alone. But when you fail, people are insensitive. They write you off and your humiliation is public. It is very tough,��� explains actor Sundeep Kishan.
But that���s just how showbiz works, it���s both kind and cruel at once. ���When you are successful, the world is at your feet. People fawn over you, agree with everything you say. But when you fail, you are alone. People fail to realise hat there is more to life than just your acting career. That���s why it���s important to have level-headed friends who can show you the mirror,��� points out Navdeep.
With the industry being unforgiving, actors usually need a strong support system to help them from sinking deep into the recesses of depression. But according to industry folk, finding such a support system among friends, especially in Tollywood, can be a tall task. ���The industry is filled with ���yes men���and sycophants. What you need is a support system that helps you approach life in a realistic, level-headed manner. If nine people tell you your movie is great, you should have at least one friend who says your film was terrible. That will help you stay real.
What people in showbiz fail to understand is the fact that success is random. You need to learn to deal with failure with a smile,��� says Shankar. Uday started off as an inspiration for scores of young boys who had no filmi background, yet harboured starry dreams. He proved that you can break into Tollywood and taste success without a godfather. And despite the flops that marred the latter half of his career, he tried to stay optimistic.
Ironically, in his last interview to Hyderabad Times, right before he tied the knot with Visheeta, a lovestruck Uday told us, ���I don���t let anything kill my spirit.��� If only he held on to this belief and fought a little harder���