‘You cannot crumble emotionally in these COVID times’
Television actress Meera Deosthale believes that while people are protecting themselves from coronavirus, they should also focus on their mental health. “You cannot crumble emotionally,” she says. In an interview, the actress, who is best known for her roles in Udaan and Vidya, talks about matters close to her heart, TV shows going off air in the pandemic and pay cuts.
You have always been vocal about your thoughts on mental health, especially depression. Given the pandemic and the current situation, what do you feel is the need of the hour?
I have seen people internalise things and go through a lot of pain, but they do not know how to get it out of their system. They hit rock bottom, but they probably cannot talk to anyone about it. We have seen suicides in this pandemic. Given how everyone is feeling right now, owing to the growing COVID-19 cases, it’s important that we focus on our mental health as well. The larger issue in our society is that when a person goes to a therapist, people think he/she is crazy. I think it’s fine if a person, at any point, feels the need to talk to someone who can hear him out and help him cope with whatever he is struggling with. If it’s not a serious situation and you don’t feel the need for a trained professional, you still need someone you can talk to.
Who do you open up with whenever you need to?
I’m blessed that I have a mother who likes to talk to me about things, and I have a set of friends who I can call up at any time and tell them what I feel. They will either give me a solution or remind me what a fighter I am, or they will show compassion towards me and that’s enough for me to sail through a certain phase and bounce back.
TV shows are wrapping up in no time these days if the ratings are not up to the mark. Last year, when COVID had just struck, your show Vidya, too, went off air. As an actor, how do you cope with such situations?
When a show suddenly ends, it does come as a shock to everyone. In my case, fortunately, I have not experienced a situation where my show ended in no time. Vidya had a good run, yes, it could have done better, but last year when COVID struck certain decisions were taken. But I have no regrets because at that time, whoever I met told me that they liked the show and were surprised that it had gone off air.
Some actors have been complaining about pay cuts during the pandemic. What do you feel about it?
When budgets are slashed, actors also have to take pay cuts. We all have a market value, we’ve worked hard over the years to reach here, and of course, we have to adjust in an economic crunch, but we cannot be expected to accept an amount paid to newcomers. I don’t think that’s reasonable. I cope with this by trying to be as positive as I can because nothing is in our control, and somebody said to me a long time ago, ‘Mann ka ho toh achha, na ho toh aur bhi achha.’ God surely has a better plan for you.
After playing central roles in Udaan and Vidya, is it difficult to accept another part now, which might not match up to that screen time?
I’ve done three shows and in two of them I played the central character, but my first show Dilli Wali Thakur Gurls, was about five sisters and I was the youngest. That was a good learning ground. Udaan was a milestone in my career and so was Vidya, though it ended sooner. About the kind of roles I want to do, it depends on what I'm offered; if it’s a feature film or a web series and the character is really strong, I don’t mind doing it. On TV, given a choice, I would want to play the central role; actors are selfish about their screen time, they want that attention, and I think I have got used to it.
You have been posting pictures on your social media, which are very different from your screen image....
On screen, I’ve been seen as a bahu or as someone who was always dressed in simple traditional wear. If you meet me outside, you’ll either see me wearing jeans or a dress, so that is who I really am. I think it is important that my audience and the people who follow me on social media get to know the real me.
Are you also trying to break free from a particular screen image that the audience has of you in mind?
Yes, in terms of work why limit yourself? You never know I might end up doing a web series where I may be playing a bold character or one that’s not similar to what I have done before, and people will not be able to accept that I can be this way too. So yes, it’s a conscious effort and I hope people like it.