Suffered from depression, had suicidal thoughts: Asha Parekh
Veteran actress Asha Parekh has revealed that after the death of her parents, she suffered from depression and had thought about committing suicide. She added, "It was a very bad phase for me. I was totally alone and had to manage everything alone." Asha further said that she had to take the help of doctors to get out of depression.
Mumbai, Apr 6 (PTI) Asha Parekhs versatility helped her feature in films of diverse genres in the 1960s but the veteran actress says being on top is often lonesome and there was a phase where she went into depression. Parekh was one of the top stars in the industry from 1959 to 1973. She worked with all the top heroes of her time including Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and others. It wasnt the highs and lows of the film business that unsettled the 74-year-old actress but the death of her parents, which pushed her into a dark zone. "It was a very bad phase for me. I lost my parents. I was totally alone and I had to manage everything all alone. It did put me in depression. I was feeling miserable and had these (suicidal) thoughts. Then I got out of it. It is a struggle, I had to take aid of the doctors to get out of it," Parekh told PTI in an interview. She says sometimes an actor may have all the love of fans but still feel lonely. "It is lonesome. On the top you are always lonely. I was very lucky I had lovely parents with me. My mother was the backbone of my career, my life. So after losing her, I got into depression. Its a huge relief that the phase is over." Parekh started her career as a child artist in the 1952 "Aasmaan" and went on to act in Bimal Roys "Baap Beti" two years later. 