The dream factory may appear bright and vibrant, yet there’s an ugly and dark side to it. The struggles, failed personal relationships and lack of work commitments can force even a strong-willed individual to take the extreme step. Silk Smitha, Monal, Jiah Khan, Kumal, Uday Kiran, Murali Mohan... the list of actors who could not come to terms with life and committed suicide, stretches on and on. The latest personality we have lost is 32-year-old telly actor Sai Prashanth, who committed suicide on Sunday night.
With this disturbing trend on a rise, one of the agendas set by the Nadigar Sangam’s Nasser, Vishal and Karthi, is that they will conduct regular counseling sessions for actors and actresses. Sai Prashanth started his career as a video jockey and then moved on to work in mega soaps, including many of Radhikaa’s serials like Annamalai, Arasi and Selvi in roles with negative shades. He has also appeared on the reality dance shows Maanada Mayilada and Jodi Number and hosted the popular show, Dil Dil Manadhil. His film stints include Neram, Thegidi and Vadacurry.
His first marriage with Gayatri ended in divorce and he has a daughter from the relationship. The actor recently got married to Sujitha whom he reportedly met at a get-together. Allegedly, Prashanth consumed poison at his home in Saligramam. The actor also has left a suicide note addressed to his current wife, which says that no one is responsible for his death and speaks about his problems in the family. He also thanked Radhikaa Sarathkumar for supporting him.
Rohini, a Radio Jockey and a close friend of Prashanth tells us, “I met him recently, and he seemed cheerful, although he was complaining about his lack of good projects. He used to be always energetic, and was very talented and a fine artist. An ardent fan of Kamal Haasan, he was proud of his pencil sketches of Kamal sir. His death came as a shock to me and we have lost a talented actor.” Smruthi Nair, a psychologist at Synapse, says, “The first step is to eradicate stigma associated with mental illness. There are a lot of independent professionals and organisations helping people to cope with depression. Mostly, people don’t know whom they can discuss their problems with. Also, there should be more mental awareness camps that could help alleviate the problem.”
