Exclusive - Chahatt Khanna on battling depression: I am dealing with it and coming out of it in a healthy way

Bade Achhe Lagte Hain actress Chahatt Khanna is a single parent and has two daughters. The actress recently deactivated her Instagram account and stated that she is into depression and therefore wants to stay away from the 'toxicity' of the social media world. Chahatt was also in the news for her recently released song with singer Mika and news about their affair blew like wildfire. To clear the air on these rumours and ask her the reason behind her staying away from social media, ETimes TV exclusively contacted the 33-year-old to speak about staying positive amidst a tough period like the lockdown imposed due to the pandemic. Apart from this, she also spoke about the struggles, a single parent goes through in the society. Read to know more... (By: Gayatri Nirmal)

The best thing that happened to me was that my daughter came and hugged me and she said, "Happy Mother's Day". It wasn't fancy but definitely it was authentic. (Photo: Instagram)

I have just temporarily deactivated my account because I am busy like a 'donkey' for my new tender and this is going to be for another 10-12 days. Firstly, I won't be able to use social media and I also don't have time for this. Secondly, it had become too much for me. Social media is a platform where you can put forth your opinion and people did not have a great opinion about me on social media. So, I thought that 'Bahut zyada ho raha hai.' So, I took a break and I will be back soon when I have time for it. (Photo: Instagram)

Had I known it (depression) toh bahut aasaan ho jaata, mere aur mere counsellor ke liye (It would have been easy for me and my counsellor) to rectify that point. We don't know where it comes from, where it vanishes and goes back. I don't know much about it. It's just that I am dealing with it and coming out of it in a healthy and most challenging way. I just wanted to stay out of the whole fake world and do something real in my life. So, I thought, let's take a break from people, social media and everything which glitters. I'm in constant touch with my counsellor via video call. (Photo: Instagram)

Beautiful. After eight years, I started painting. Usually, I would take at least two to three days and even more to complete a painting but now I am able to finish a painting in one day. I am catching up with my old hobbies like painting, writing and so much more. I have completed three scripts during this 2.5 months of quarantine and work is going on. It's kind of very real, authentic and old school and therapeutic. These are the values that we have been brought up in and I am reliving them again. (Photo: Instagram)

There was no chemistry. We said 'chai' and people thought that because we had tea together 'We are having an affair.' Vo toh baat alag hai but we did not even have any sleazy scene or anything. Our Instagram stories created so much noise that people started thinking that we are dating then that was a promotional strategy. (Photo: Instagram)

No. We laugh over it . I am a director's actor and I will do what they say. For promotion, whatever my team asked me to do, I did. After doing all this, if the repercussions are such, we (all the actors) laugh about it. Inside news is that we like to read fresh gossip and we read and laugh about it. (Photo: Instagram)

There are people who I am attached emotionally with, their opinion matters to me. People, who aren't related to me, their opinion leaves no effect on me. Yes, trolls are quite hurtful. I don't even know them if people might be creating fake accounts to troll me and usually people do this, right? There are so many friends of mine, who know which hotel I went to, which coffee I had and they don't even talk to me or follow me. So, these people make fake accounts and start stalking and targeting one another on social media. (Photo: Instagram)

Of course. Half of the girls that I know, who are actor-friends of mine, people don't even know that they are married or divorced and have children. They hide their personal life that they are divorced or separated and have children. My question is, 'What, why?' They say, 'It affects your work.' (Photo: Instagram)

Hard work is the key to keep going ahead in life. There are a lot of people who do not want to work hard. They want to just sit at home and earn in different simple ways. Logon ke apne values hain, apne thought process hain. (People have their own values and thought processes). When terms or relationships go sour, even your closest of friends, boyfriends, girlfriends or husbands are the first ones to point fingers at you and say, 'Tera toh iske liye divorce hua hai' and 'Acha hua tere husband ne tujhe chhod diya' (Your husband divorced you for good). You're an amma 'Do bachhon ki maa hai, ja jaakar apne bachhe sambhaal' (You're a mother of two kids. Go and parent them). These are the things that you get to hear. (Photo: Instagram)

Of course, a very close female friend of mine told me these things. I was like 'WHAT?' So, yes, we all are like that. When we turn our backs, people don't leave any stone unturned to pull you down. (Photo: Instagram)

I had the positivity till now but I think it has gone and that's the reason why I am taking sessions from the counsellor. But, I will bounce back soon. (Photo: Instagram)