Actor Taapsee Pannu has spoken about the emotional toll of online trolling and the importance of mental health support, reflecting on how her understanding of well-being changed over the years, states Hindustan Times.
On World Mental Health Day, Taapsee said she once believed people needed professional help only when they reached a severe stage of mental distress.
She later realised that mental health also means living in the present and finding peace in everyday life. She added that the pressures of showbiz can make that difficult.
The actor said the Covid-19 pandemic forced her to confront anxieties she had previously tried to manage by keeping busy with work, sports and other activities. Spending more time alone helped her recognise the need to care for her mental well-being.
Taapsee also described the impact of social media criticism on actors, saying that constant judgement over their careers and personal lives can be difficult to ignore. She recalled spending years trying to please everyone before realising how much time and energy she had lost.
“I’m not going to romanticise it with fancy lines about knowing your self-worth,” she said, adding that trolling still affects her at times. She also pointed to media outlets that publish content aimed at tearing actors down.
According to Taapsee, social media has made celebrities more vulnerable to anxiety and comparison. She believes many actors now present carefully constructed personas to satisfy audiences rather than showing their authentic selves.
The actor eventually chose to become inactive on social media, saying she preferred stepping away to compromising her identity or enduring further emotional strain.
Taapsee also revealed that she attended therapy sessions during the pandemic. The demanding nature of her acting roles had previously led her to travel to disconnect from work, but lockdown restrictions left her confronting difficult emotions directly.
She said therapy helped her learn how to deal with herself instead of avoiding those feelings. Taapsee welcomed the fact that seeking professional mental health support is no longer as taboo as it once was.
