The entertainment industry is perceived to be a world of glitz and glamour, where everything is magical and comprises consistent highs. The reality, however, is quite different!

Thankfully though our young empowered stars are keeping things real by not paying much fodder to the artificial trajectories of stereotypes created by yesteryear’s media and talking about mental health problems. Here in this article, we are shedding light on some emerging superlative talent in our country who believes in being real and sharing their true-self.

Iqra Aziz

Iqra Aziz, the youngest raring superstar, now a household name in Pakistan with the massive success of the Suno Chanda series and her terrific acting in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi, recently confessed about Yasir Hussain being her ray of sunshine in her battle with depression.

Iqra who has always been honest about her life and family background recently made a bold statement that she went in a state of depression as her friends and people from the fraternity never reciprocated the love and care that Iqra uses to shower them with. She always used to be ready to go an extra mile for her peers but when Iqra needed someone by her side many people disappointed her and that made her go into a state of depression.

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This was the time when Yasir completed this void in her life and made her love her life all over again. This emphasis on the fact that a companion or an emotional anchor is what we need in our circle, positive people who we can count on.

Emaad Irfani

Emmad Irfani, a super-model, and actor is quite well known for his photoshoots and modeling campaigns but nowadays it is his drama Cheekh that has been soaring high in the air and has also made the actor a household name. Born in Peshawar, Emmad comes from a military background, thus having traveled almost all of Pakistan during his childhood until his father retired and eventually settled in Lahore.

In his recent interview on Rewind with Samina Peerzada, Emmad gave some insight into his personal life. He stated that because of the constant shifting apropos to his father’s postings, he did not interact much with people and became a shy introvert kid.

He further revealed that his teachers thought of him as weak and a failure in life because of his disinterest in academics. The negativity and demotivation of his academic mentors thrashed his confidence thus propelling him to take on sports as a career.

In the latter half of the interview, Emmad spoke about how at the tender age of 18 he incurred a hairline fracture, which meant he could not take on sports as a career. The doctors told him it would take 2-3 years for him to recover, thus causing his mental health to deteriorate as his life long dream could not be pursued.

Opening up about depression, he said that it was his family’s support which helped him immensely. He also spoke about how sports but mainly music helped him get through the difficult phase of his life.

How Emmad coped up with his mental health

Moving further in the interview, Emmad revealed he got into modeling in the early 2000s. Modeling was a part-time job for him as at that time, he was studying and also working as a marketing manager for a company.

The turning point in his career came when he shot a TVC for Tapal with Mahira Khan. Stuck at the last scene, Emmad felt thorough pressure on himself which became a driving force for him to prove himself as an actor.

He credited his wife’s support as a healing factor all throughout. On the work front, his first stint was as a supporting actor in Sajal Aly and Sheheryar Munawar starrer Aasmanon Pay Likha. While people made fun of his acting skills, the disapproval of the audience became his motivation to prove himself worthy as a hero.

Amidst the interview, Emmad credits his newfound extrovert nature to music band Queen and Pakistani writer Manto. He shares how both of these artists helped him hone his skills whether it was through nonverbal communication, confidence boost while making conversation or a change in mindset.

Hina Altaf

Udaari and Aatish fame, Hina Altaf is an emerging star of our television industry. Hina has won the audiences’ hearts with her innocent charm and bewitching personality.

Hina revealed on Speak your heart with Samina Peerzada that she ran away from her house due to domestic turbulence. With a lot of dignity, she mentioned how her mother’s deteriorating health and her parents’ inconsistent equation took a toll on Hina’s mental health and she escaped from her house and started living alone.

She found solace in a psychiatrist cum therapist whose name she has tattooed on her body. Her mental illness also damaged her physical health and she got very weak. Her appetite got badly affected and she surrendered herself to this doctor and the rest is history.

It is notable to mention that in the past many celebrities such as Affan Waheed, Mohsin Abbas Haider,  Momina Mustehsan and many others have spoken about the importance and the need to bring awareness of mental and emotional health.

More power to these emerging stars of our country.