The Tamil film industry and society at large has been left deeply shaken and stirred in the wake of the unfortunate suicide of actor/composer/singer Vijay Antony's 16-year old daughter Meera. Following an initial inquiry, it has been learnt that the youngster chose to take her life owing to academic pressure.
At a recent college event in Chennai, veteran actor Kamal Haasan addressed a group of students who posed questions before him about dealing with life and its various pressures. The actor who is also a politician, was more than forthcoming and proactive in engaging with the students.
However, when the growing rate of students' suicides was brought up into the discussion, the actor took a leaf out of his own life and spoke about a time when he dealt with suicidal thoughts when he started out as a young actor. The actor shared, "When I was 20 or 21, I had thought about committing suicide."
The 'Vikram' actor also spoke about a time when he felt a deep sense and need for validation for his contribution to films. He further shared, "I used to lament that neither the film industry nor the art world was giving me the value that I deserved. At the time I thought, if I died the industry would repent of losing such a talented artist. I have seriously discussed it with my mentor Ananthu. He asked me, 'If you are a genius, who am I?' He advised me to continue working and patiently await my time."
The actor urged the students to be careful about dealing with their thoughts if ever they considered taking drastic measures to ease their pain or trauma. In an affirmative, reassuring tone, the actor advised, "I have accepted death as part of life. I don't see death and life as two different things. An endless life has no meaning or purpose. Death will come. So you don't need to rush it."
Haasan will be next seen director S. Shankar's Indian 2 and Kalki 2898 AD, which is a Nag Ashwin directorial. Besides, the actor is also deliberating on signing on the dotted lines for Mani Ratnam and H Vinoth's next films, respectively.
