Robin Williams’ death on Monday underlines the grim battle many in the entertainment industry, particularly comics, do with depression. Bob Dylan sang of hearing “the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,” in the apocalyptic ‘A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall’. There was also Raj Kapoor wiping his tears while making the world laugh in Mera Naam Joker . Even the greatest of Shakespeare’s tragic characters, Hamlet, has his moments of levity, which came from rather dark spaces. There definitely seems to be a connection between making the world laugh while you are seriously messed up.
Reeling from the shock on hearing of the passing of who she calls the “true-blue comic”, stand up comedienne, Rubi Chakravarti, says, “People know us as comics, so we really have no space to be depressed as the world would see it. We are constantly making others laugh that it has become a part of us so much so society expects us to do just that all the time. We do feel immense pressure at times because we’ve always got to be the way fans imagine us to be. People think all we ever do is talk but the truth is we listen so much, enough to mimic characters and people perfectly, and at some level our lives become just about being the live wire anywhere we go. Robin Williams’ death is a great loss to the world of stand-up comedy.”
RJ and comedian, Danish Sait, says: “I’ve been through depression myself and it’s really not easy to come out and make the world laugh but that’s who we are and that’s what we do. I think comics are very giving people. We’re always expected to be funny and make others laugh. What happens most often in the process is that the line between our real life and stage life gets blurred. Also, we’re constantly making people laugh and being human, maybe subconsciously, we would like it if we were returned the favour. Even when we’re low, people expect us to be fine and more often than not they don’t read beyond our jokes. I think it is when we experience moments of silence when we encounter an internal conflict that we get depressed and unfortunately depression has stolen some of the greatest people from us.”
Psychologist Shruti Ahluwalia says: “Celebrities have a life that their fans perhaps will never know about and in the case of stand-up comedians, it becomes even more important for them to conceal their sadness and struggles. Their job is terribly demanding. Depression can stem from so many different things- broken homes, a jilted heart, disillusionment, etc. Often, the saddest people are the ones who make others laugh. Many derive contentment from the fact that they can at least put a smile on someone else’s face. It’s more like a coping mechanism that helps them momentarily escape the reality of their lives. Unfortunately, it’s not a long term or very effective weapon and that’s perhaps why many comics have eventually succumbed to depression and suicide.”
