Parakh Madan, who has been part of shows like Bhagyalakshmi, Anupamaa, Meet, and Qurbaan Hua, among others, shares that the entertainment world is a high-pressure industry. She said, “The stress and burden are very real in the entertainment industry. There is always a pressure of maintaining a public persona.”

“Professional rejection, unstable incomes, and the constant demands of staying relevant often take a toll on an artist’s mental health,” she added.

With actors and singers announcing their break quite often now, she feels such decisions are sometimes less about ambition and more about survival, mentally and physically. She said, “Not everyone makes these decisions consciously. Some are forced to quit or take sabbaticals, while others do so on purpose. It takes a lot of courage to prioritize health over wealth and fame.”

“Survival of the fittest is the core of evolutionary biology, and thriving in this industry requires one to be mentally and physically fit,” she added.

She even stressed that fame makes it harder to prioritize health over expectations. She said, “Being swept by the tide is very easy. When you are riding the wave of success, it sometimes becomes very difficult to even realize how much you are neglecting your health in the process because of the adrenaline of fame and recognition, the demands of the profession, and also the lack of free time for yourself.

Asked if the entertainment industry is finally acknowledging that constant pressure can be toxic, she said, “I haven’t seen any drastic changes in the patterns of working in our environment that show heightened sensitivity towards lessening the constant pressure. The demand has to equal the supply, so the makers are also under constant pressure of timelines. It’s a catch-22 situation.”

When celebrities walk away from successful careers, they’re often judged as ungrateful or impulsive. Parakh believes celebrities shouldn’t be viewed as products or commodities. She said, “Instead, they should also be viewed as biological entities with limited bandwidth. Everyone goes through a burnout or a meltdown once in a while, and so do we. Respecting an artist’s need for space in such situations and empathizing with them rather than being judgmental is the right thing to do and will set a healthy cultural message for society, I think.”