Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who played a mentally ill serial killer in the film Raman Raghav 2.0, doubled down on his recent comments about depression and mental health 'not existing' in rural areas. He had said that issues such as this are an urban concept, and went on to suggest that if he were to claim that he is depressed in his native village, he'd be thrashed. He was asked about his controversial comments in a new interview with NDTV. The actor said in Hindi, "I was just narrating my experience. It's possible I'm wrong. But even today, if I were to go to my village, which is just three hours away, and say that I have depression, I'd get slapped. They'd tell me to eat food and go to the fields." Asked if he meant that people in rural areas aren't aware of these conversations as opposed to claiming that mental health issues don't exist, the actor said, "It doesn't exist. Nobody knows about it, nobody has depression in villages. It's a fact, go check." Nawaz continued without providing any medical proof, "You see, in cities, people have the habit of glorifying even the smallest problems. Why don't they see how people with real problems live their lives. Look how they dance on footpaths in the rain, why don't those people have depression?" Reacting to Nawaz's latest comments, actor Gulshan Devaiah wrote on Twitter, "Dritharashtra & Gandhari syndrome. I immensely respect the man for his craft but I’d not take him seriously on this issue. If you even just look at alcoholism or addictions, they exist in rural communities and that’s mental illness. No addict indulges in addiction because they love it. The addiction is a symptom, the real problem is the trauma they can’t heal." Dritharashtra & Gandhari syndrome. I immensely respect the man for his craft but I’d not take him seriously on this issue. If you even just look at alcoholism or addictions, they exist in rural communities and that’s mental illness. No addict indulges in addiction because they… — “SuperGullu” (@gulshandevaiah) May 24, 2023 Nawaz had made his original comments in an interview with Mashable India. He had said, "I come from a place where, if I would tell my father that I am feeling depressed, he would give me one tight slap… Depression waha nahi tha, kisi ko bhi nahi hota waha depression, sab khush hai (No one gets depression in villages, everyone is happy there). But I learnt about anxiety, depression, bipolar after coming to the city.” The actor is currently promoting his upcoming film Jogira Sara Ra Ra. He was recently seen in Afwaah, and is best known for Gangs of Wasseypur and Sacred Games.
