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Shama Sikander reveals she suffered from depression: ‘I even tried to die by suicide’

Shama Sikander, who rose to fame after her appearance in several music videos in the 90s followed by the popular television show Yeh Meri Life Hain, suddenly disappeared from the small screen. The actress has now opened up about her absence.

Take a tour of Shama Sikander's Mumbai home. (Photo: Shama Sikander/Instagram)

Shama Sikander, who disappeared from the small screen at the peak of her career, recently opened up about what made her quit the television industry. The actress rose to fame with her music videos in the 90s. Her popularity got a boost with the lead role in the show Yeh Meri Life Hain. Yet, things soon went downhill.

In an interview with Pinkvilla, Shama claimed “burn out” was the real reason behind her sudden disappearance from acting. She explained, “I had worked without a break for quite a long time and it started to take a toll on my mental health. I started to feel uneasy and I decided to stay indoors. I stopped going out and socializing. I was going through depression and even tried to commit suicide but thankfully my parents saved me at the nick of time.”

Shama Sikander also detailed her battle with depression. Sharing the reason behind feeling depressed, the actress said, “I feel the industry has a lot of unrealistic expectations from people. It requires you to be what they perceive of you and slowly and steadily you lose yourself completely in the darkness. When I felt the burnout, I gave up the stardom and industry and took my own time for healing.” Sharing another reason, Shama claimed she was a people pleaser, which eventually took a toll on her.

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The actress claimed in early 2000s, there wasn’t much awareness around depression. “My parents weren’t able to gauge the reason for me wanting to be home and not being productive at all.” However, they did support her during the dark phase.

The 43-years-old actress revealed she has no plans to return to television as she is not open to work for long hours. “I prefer OTT projects,” said Shama.

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