A contestant on India’s Got Talent has ignited a social media firestorm after taking a jibe against Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone’s struggle with depression.
The comedian participating on the show, used Deepika’s account of her mental health struggles as the punchline during her act. In a viral video from the show, the contestant began by acknowledging the actress’s recent journey into motherhood, which was met with cheers from the audience. However, she followed it up with, “Great! Now she knows what depression really looks like,” drawing laughter from the crowd and the panel of judges.
The comedian didn’t stop there, adding, “I’m not trying to insult break-up wala depression… actually, I am,” seemingly taking a swipe at the actress’ failed relationship with actor Ranbir Kapoor.
The remarks sparked outrage online, with fans and mental health advocates slamming the joke as “shameful” and “insensitive.” Commenting on the clip, one tweeted, “This is so bad. People die because of depression. To laugh at someone because you think they ‘cooked up’ a story shows how insensitive and uneducated this person is.”
Another added, “Deepika speaking about depression helped so many people see it in a more sensitive light. This contestant or any of them on that panel will never have that impact.”
Others pointed out the inaccuracies in the comedian’s remarks, noting that Deepika had previously clarified her depression was unrelated to her past relationships. “Depression is not a joke. Deepika didn’t get depressed after a breakup—that’s just a narrative people created to undermine her story,” one user said.
Others noted how Tanmay Bhat also reacted to the joke, despite opening up about his ‘clinical depression’ back in 2019. The comedian made headlines a few years ago when he posted a clip about his mental health. “I’m a bit of a mess. I don’t know when I’ll stop being a bit of a mess. But when I’m less of a mess, I will owe it to everybody who has written in being supportive. Especially those who’ve seen this mess up close. You know who you are,” he captioned the post.
The viral incident has reignited conversations about the need for sensitivity around mental health topics, with calls for people to avoid trivialising the seriousness of the issue.
Deepika welcomed her first child, daughter Dua with husband, Ranveer Singh on September 8. The actress has taken a break from work commitments to be with her baby. On the work front, she was seen playing the role of a cop for the first time in Rohit Shetty’s ‘Singham Again’. Buzz is that the director is gearing up to make a female-lead cop with with non other than ‘Lady Singham’ in the lead.