During a recent candid conversation on Faridoon Shahryar’s podcast, legendary actor Anupam Kher—renowned for delivering iconic performances across more than 500 films—surprised fans by recalling his past battle with manic depression around 2011 when his first book was published, detailing how sleepless nights and burning eyes first led him to an ophthalmologist who directed him to a psychiatrist, a suggestion Kher initially laughed off before reluctantly visiting the clinic where, in a humorous display of arrogance, he spent the entire hour offering solutions to the doctor’s problems before proudly presenting his book and attempting to walk out, only to be stopped by the psychiatrist who diagnosed him with manic depression and pointed out that his unchecked optimism and constant rushing without listening made him jokingly become the “brand ambassador of mental illness,” a truth the actor now embraces with absolute openness, noting that when you are completely honest with the world about your struggles, no one can ever use fear against you.
Anupam Kher Opens Up on His Battle with Manic Depression: How He Embraced the Label of Brand Ambassador of Mental Illness
