From Ayushmann Khurrana to Vidya Balan, there are several actors who have started their careers from television and gained success in Bollywood. However, there is one actress who though became a TV star, failed to make a mark in Bollywood.
The actress we are talking about is Shama Sikander, who after quitting the industry, tried to take her life by eating sleeping pills. Now she runs a production company.
Shama Sikander made her acting debut in the movie Prem Aggan and later bagged her first lead role on television as Pooja Mehta in the show Yeh Meri Life Hai. The show made her a household name. She starred in several TV shows like Baal Veer, Seven and Kajjal among others.
She then went on to star in several Bollywood films like Mann, Yeh Mohabbat Hai, Ansh: The Deadly Part, Basti, Dhoom Dhadaka, Contract and Bypass Road, however, all of them flopped at the box office. After this, the actress left Bollywood.
The actress in a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble revealed the reason behind leaving the industry and said, “15 years ago I was in a very bad state, I had severe depression, bipolar disorder. That was when I came to know that my grandmother could also have also had bipolar disorder because this is genetic. She used to do things that made people say she was possessed. I have done similar things, but because I am intelligent and live in today's times, I was able to understand that I am not possessed. That was when I gave up on my career, and left the industry."
She further revealed how she tried to kill herself by suicide and said, “Of course. I tried to commit suicide, and I was saved by my family... I said to God, 'There is too much people-pleasing. I was tired and could not do this anymore. I wanted to come back as somebody else. Let's make a deal. I am committing suicide now, you give me another birth'. Then I took a lot of sleeping pills and I slept. I think while I was asleep, I sent my bank details to my brother.”
She added, “He was at a wedding and wondered, "Why is my sister sending this to me right now?' My mother was reading the Quran and I had told her not to disturb me. My brother then called my mother... And then they got to know and tried to wake me up, but I was not getting up. Then everyone came rushing. I have flashbacks that they were all trying to pick me up and I was like dead meat. Six people together were not able to pick me up. So they took me to the nearest hospital, but the hospital would not take me and said it looked like a suicide case."
The actress now runs her own production company Shama Sikander Films Pvt. and fashion label Saisha. The brand, based in Mumbai, has showcased collections both domestically and internationally. She has produced web series Ab Dil Ki Sunn under her production banner.
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