Nishabd Exit

First things first. It would seem like a conveniently blithe assumption to imagine film stars enjoying a more exciting and event-filled life than us common folks; glamour, fame, money, romance, sex, drugs, booze, scandals included! These pointers obviously arrive from media – newspaper headlines, TV, radio and gossip, right? There is also a notion that publicity has a terrible effect on people’s lives because mass admiration can disturb the emotional and mental equilibrium of individuals and lead to mental imbalance, even suicide, once all this vanishes. Celeb-watchers, however, believe that this may not necessarily be true because admired public figures in other walks of life aren’t as impressionable and weak as entertainers. Here, the basic internal make-up of a star is worth probing.

Hunger appears to be the paramount, driving force for stars/entertainers. They crave for applause, adulation and affection. This pre-supposes an inner emptiness, a gnawing feeling of inadequacy that forms the basis of emotional insecurity. This frantic, endless search is usually based on their deadly, inherent psychic emptiness. This seldom happens to other gifted souls famous in the other arts such as music, poetry, literature, painting, theatre, etc. Why?  They seem to have more patience and the nature of the beast (in their case) is less ravenous and hunger-prone. They may have the same drive and dedication as stars and are equally desirous of great feedback and fan-following but, unlike stars, are cognizant of the time required to gain artistic excellence. Another tangible (and serious) difference between these two lies in the artist’s uncompromising devotion to his/her own artistic integrity irrespective of market forces. This is conspicuously lacking in the entertainer.  Public adulation and box office success is, for them, their ultimate success quotient. Unlike the artist, instant gratification is their staple diet. Their hunger is too great; need, too immediate. Impatience and lack of restraint drives their calling. No one defined it better than the Rolling Stones with their chilling 60’s anthem that said it all, “Ah can’t get no sat-is-faction…!”

Jiah Khan clearly didn’t get no satisfaction, which is why the doomed creature hung herself and exited from sight to memory. Introduced by Ram Gopal Varma in 2007 (Nishabd), the film may have tanked but this new, sizzling filly truly scorched the screen with her intoxicating body language. Playing eye-candy to naughty oldie Amitabh Bachchan, their scenes of delicious intimacy (without ever bordering on vulgarity or obscenity) had connoisseurs instantly compare it to the best of European, even Scandinavian cinema. Way before its time, Nishabd exited silently since it lacked the familiar, filmy brand of jhatka, titillation and low-brow gestures or humour.  Sophisticated sexual tone – suggesting not defining; implying and not in-your face – was not the favourite fodder of the howling mobs desiring a-c-t-i-o-n! Besides, the film had hardly any promotion or marketing, dared to cast the Big B in an unconventional role and most importantly, hardly publicised the lusty Lolita with the song and dance required. If Jiah Khan was noticed, appreciated and admired, it was completely her doing. Problem was that her role of a young, innocent, half-knowing seductress was not something that could be put in the common B-town mould. RGV was a bold, iconoclastic, fearless filmmaker who went with his vision and heart and not market forces or popular trends. Now how many daring experimentalists would go that route? Also, how many would take pains to understand or groom the Jiah Khan persona and power it into a winning, preferred brand for the audience? Ghajini that followed had actress Asin as lead opposite Aamir Khan. Sure, Jiah had a role but when you think of that blockbuster, do you really think of Jiah even for a second? As for Houseful (2010), it was a typical, brain-dead, corny, ha-ha Sajid Khan ensemble comic caper, where the pretty young thing also had a role. It was a success, but clearly did nothing to raise her stock in the Bollywood must-cast-again game. Alas, from year 2010, till the fateful day she exited the world, no decent work seemed to have come her way. In a glamour-driven industry, to be consistently ignored and rejected or fed with false promises, helplessly watching lesser talented colleagues leaping ahead, could be living death. This could still be damage-controlled if there was solid emotional cushion in terms of a caring boy friend or secure family life.

Jiah Khan however is not alone and joins the gallery of several young women who ended their lives in this tragic manner. The fabled Marylyn Monroe instantly comes to mind.  Whether Hollywood’s iconic sex-symbol committed suicide (overdose of sleeping pills) or was done-in by people who reckoned she knew too much and was too close to the powerful Kennedys, remains a mystery that has endured half-a-century of scrutiny.  Closer home, movie fans of the 90’s may remember the bright, bubbly and pretty Southern star Divya Bharti, who was dazzling the marquee with her starry presence.  She was rising fast on the popularity polls, rocking it with the likes of Rishi Kapoor and a young SRK, when suddenly cruel fate stepped in to end the 19-year-old’s dream run. 1996 saw the death of the Tamil screen siren Silk Smitha, whose last days were truly a Dirty Picture – drowned in alcohol, loneliness, misery and failure at film production and loss of the fan following of her rush hour – triggered her suicide at age 35. Attractive model Nafisa Joseph is next in line. All set to marry businessman Gautam Khanduja, the 26-year-old was found dead, having hung herself when she heard that her beau was already married. The once gorgeous star who headlined tons of blockbusters with the top male leads of the day and was famous for her liberated lifestyle, Parveen Babi was discovered dead in her Juhu flat in year 2005. Her last days – decades? – were shrouded in mystery. TV actress and Gladrags model Kuljeet Randhawa too ended her life young at age 30. Her suicide note in 2006 suggested that she couldn’t cope with life’s endless pressures. What pressures? Unclear. In year 2010, pretty model Viveka Babajee called it quits by hanging from the ceiling. Depressed at splitting from her boyfriend, Gautam Vohra, the 37-year-old accused him, in her note, with “You killed Me!” Ditto seems to be Jiah Khan’s case after the shocking revelation of her suicide note blaming her 21-year-old boyfriend for her traumatic end.

Almost all these tragic souls have several common points. For one, they were too young to die. Secondly, celebrity and limelight are very dangerous aphrodisiacs, which most couldn’t take. “Glorification and degradation are two sides of the same coin in showbiz”, says leading shrink Samir Parikh. Jiah’s case, allegedly, went the same route with crushing disappointment at the workplace and souring of relationship with her boyfriend, Suraj Pancholi, who the actress believed, was cheating on her. Others believe that it has to do with how men and women perceive and handle failure. “Depression owing to a failed romance is common in showbiz as is careers not moving at the desired high speed. It creates stress, tension, pressure and anxiety that need very careful handling – from within or family, friends and medical help, whatever – otherwise it can be dangerous. Men (typically) in most cases, look for excuses. Women, mostly, blame themselves, find the tensions too much to cope and sign out.”

That’s what must have happened to the young, spunky and attractive young actress who seemed to have been liked by all her colleagues and those fortunate to have associated with her.  But hey, that’s no way to say goodbye … 

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