Humans are complex beings. We face a lot of hardships in life and come across situations that make us feel miserable, fearful and bad for ourselves. There are different facets to all of us. And we feel proud to showcase some of them to the world.

But what about the rest? What lies on the darker side of the moon?

I guess none of us would want to show the ugly, darker, weaker part of us. As much as this is true for us people leading a normal life, this matter gets magnified to a whole different level for celebrities.

The reason why it is difficult for actors to come to terms with their own challenges is because of constant criticism and limelight. But there are some, who have been brave enough to break the stigma of being criticized and discussed their issues.

Kudos to them. Because of their strength and courage, people get the strength to face their demons and embrace them.

So let us take a look at these brave-hearts who deserve respect, not only respect on screen but off the screen as well:

Sanjay Dutt:

Bollywood’s Munnabhai, legend Sunil Dutt’s son. He proved his acting mettle, became a superstar of the 90s era. BUT Fame came with a heavy price for him.

He had a lot to deal with since his debut in Bollywood. His mother, the veteran actress Nargis Dutt, passed away due to cancer, days before her son’s debut film release. Sanjay lost his way in the world. He started taking drugs to help alleviate the trauma of his mother’s death.

And people around created all the more chaos rather than showing him the right way of dealing with grief. Hence, he was an addict. He did seek treatment, of course, but it was not an easy journey for him. The rehabilitation came with its own obvious challenges. But he did not give up.

He could have kept all of this to himself. No one would even know about the struggles. However, he came clean. Told his story, through his book and biopic film “Sanju”. So why did he admit to all this?

I think he wanted everyone to know so that people realize that even superstar status doesn’t come with an easy life.

So moral of his story? Your action will have a reaction. If you want to survive, you will have to fight it. The fight is not an easy one.

Deepika Padukone:

Honestly, her confessions about depression were a shocker for me. I mean her life seemed pretty perfect. She is a star and it was just a bad relationship. I could never have imagined that someone who is all smiles and showcasing such positivity could go through something as terrifying.

But as they say, the brightest smiles hide the biggest fears. She first experienced depression in 2014 and her condition worsened after she went through a break-up.

While her professional life was going great guns as she gave back to back hits on the silver screen, her personal life was becoming darker by the day. She always seemed someone who loved to be the sunshine in people’s lives.

But obviously, she wasn’t feeling so positive about herself.

‘I Felt Empty And Directionless’, Says Deepika Padukone on Her Battle With Depression

 So she met a counsellor and eventually, after a lot of sessions and with the help of medication (nothing wrong with it), she was finally able to feel free. She could feel all of her lost energy coming back to her.

So why did she decide to go public with something as unacceptable as her mental health? As she said it herself, if her story of survival could make a difference even in one person’s life, then her mission is accomplished. And this was the main vision and mission of her NGO “Live Love Laugh”.

Not only did her story of survival and her win against depression inspire me, but also inspired many others to confront this demon head on.

Sara Ali Khan:

Sara Ali Khan, daughter of stars Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, made her debut with the film Kedarnath. You might be wondering the reason behind her feature on this list.

For those who don’t know Sara suffered from PCOS (Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome) as a teenager. This condition was the cause of her obesity. She admitted to this in her debut on Koffee with Karan.

Why did she choose to talk about her weight issues so openly? She knew that millions were watching her. The fear of judgement was looming, too.

She had an option of letting her past stay in its rightful place and instead enjoy her present. Then why now?

Well, even though her admission might have been unintentional, but it opened a lot of avenues to discuss remote topics like PCOS. Honestly, I did not even know that such a condition existed until Sara decided to speak about it.

So, in a way, she opened up an important conversation that many women either choose to ignore or are unaware of.

Kangana Ranaut:

Say what you may, but I truly admire this woman and there are, in fact, many reasons to admire her, not only as an actress but also as a woman. We all know, it is almost impossible for any outsider to enter and reach heights in the Indian film industry.

But Kangana proved everyone wrong when she did just the opposite. She busted the myth that outsiders cannot make it big in the industry.

She is the true “Queen” of Bollywood, not just because of her bold film choices, but the fact that she is such a fearless person when it comes to speaking her mind. This has also gotten her into a lot of trouble but has also won a million hearts because of it.

Yes, I call her fearless, but that does not mean that she did not have any fears of her own to deal with. Harsh obstacles awaited her not only in her professional life but in matters of love as well.

During her initial days in Bollywood, when she was in a relationship with Aditya Pancholi, she was underestimated by him and was a victim of violence within a relationship.

She was subjected to physical and verbal abuse. But she did not take it lying down. She gave it right back to him by hitting him back with her sandal! And she was just 17 years old!

This requires immense courage. It is not something that many girls of her age would even think of doing. That is because the entire incident would be too traumatizing to handle. With her admission, she became an example for many of us girls to follow.

She sent out a strong message to all the men to better respect their women. She also gave women the much-needed voice and made them realise that it is unacceptable to accept abuse. We all have the power to fight back and she has been a perfect example for us.\

Tanushree Dutta:

We can’t forget and neglect the woman who started the #MeToo movement in India! This woman is fearless. She has become a role model for many women for all the right reasons. She accused actor Nana Patekar of sexual harassment 10 years ago on the sets of her film “Horn OK Please!”

She also filed a complaint against the actor with CINTAA (Cine And TV Artistes’ Association). However, no one took her complaint seriously because Nana Patekar is considered as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Part of the reason was the typical menial mentality that she was doing it “for publicity”.

She received a huge backlash, too. Due to this, unfortunately, she left India for good. She began to lead a quiet life in the USA. But this incident did not stop the movement from regaining its momentum.

Because it was only after Dutta’s bold move that other female artistes mustered the courage to not only come out in her support but also name their own sexual predators.

This opened up a can of worms for many “legends” of Bollywood including “Sanskaari Papa” actor Alok Nath. Need I say further?

All the above-mentioned actors/actresses had one thing in common; actually two things: fear and courage. Fear of judgement and feeling lonely in their respective battles. And courage to overcome that fear and face anything that comes along.

After all, fear is what makes us human. As Butch from “The Good Dinosaur” would say it, “If you ain’t scared, you ain’t alive!” Courage is all that it takes to be a little more than human. Courage is what makes us super-humans.