Stardom goes down the bottle

High pressure and constant need to succeed often pushes actors to find solace in alcohol.

Stardom can be a gilded slavery: had warned the famous American actress Helen Hayes. Closer home, Indian actors in their “revealing interviews” have been opening up about the downside of stardom. Adding to the list, actor Ranbir Kapoor recently opened up about his “alcohol problems” to a magazine. The actor, who has been having a low phase both personally and professionally, said that only work keeps him away from drinking. The actor also hinted that the problem could run in the blood since he has witnessed it in his family and has confessed that he also might have a similar issue.

However, Ranbir’s is not an isolated case, several actors from film industries have long been suffering from alcohol addiction. The tragic tale of actress Meena Kumari’s alcohol-induced untimely death is etched in the collective conscious. If reports are to be believed, even Dharmendra battled alcohol addiction for 15 years, before finally turning sober.

But what really pushes actors to such an extent

Psychologist Pulkit Sharma believes that when most actors who have tasted fame go through a low phase, they hit the rock bottom. “Most of the film stars need constant appreciation and when that doesn’t happen, most of them aren’t able to handle it. Since they can’t deal with that low phase of their lives, they get addicted to alcohol, which works as an anesthesia to numb their pain,” explains Sharma.

Showbiz is a tumultuous business, and an actor’s worth and credibility is on stake with every film they release. While the highs are alluring, the lows are equally — if not more — devastating. Mixed with fragile egos affected by the slightest negative remarks, the constant pressure to excel works as a venomous concoction when they hit the proverbial panic button — the bottle becomes their only escape.

“Stardom is addictive, and for some, very temporary. Actors often are not able to withstand the disastrous fall after a meteoric rise and end up hitting the bottle to deal with the agony of their failure. There has been no actor in the world who hasn’t delivered a flop. There are some who overcome such failures and remain at the pinnacle of success. Take Amitabh Bachchan or Ashok Kumar, for example. I agree, that in this industry it is difficult to achieve fame and even more difficult to sustain it. But it would be unfair to limit alcoholism only to Bollywood,” says film historian film historian, S.M.M. Ausaja.

With every profession come its pros and cons. However, with film stars and their constant urge to be in the limelight, things become a bit more difficult. Shedding further light, Dr Sharma adds, “If people look at acting as a profession and not as a ladder to only make money and become famous, half the problem will be solved. Even in the (film) industry, not everyone suffers from an alcohol addiction.

There are people who have had duds, but they have not sunk. One needs to have some balance in life which keeps people afloat.”

Actor Sudheer Babu, who recently played the villain in the film Baaghi believes that one needs to be able to take failures with a pinch of salt. “The thing with the film industry is that we have to constantly keep proving ourselves. Actors just can’t rest even if one film does well; it’s a constant struggle and yes, it can get stressful. But, I believe that if you’re going to look at this profession as a means of fame and money, then the downfalls will hit you hard. I love acting and when there is a dud, one tends to feel low automatically, but you can’t consider yourself a hit only if your film is a hit,” says Sudheer.

“The pressures are the same in every industry,” says actor Adivi Sesh, from the Telugu film industry. “I think this is a personal choice and not everyone gets addicted to alcohol. The pressure to succeed affects people in different ways and not everyone takes to alcohol. Look at it this way; for an IT employee, his deadline could be as stressful as ours, but you never get to hear about it. Also, in most cases, alcohol addiction could be genetic so that is also a contributing factor,” Adivi concludes.