Actress Alia Bhatt on Tuesday shared a moving post on false guilt from her sister Shaheen Bhatt’s recently-launched initiative Here Comes The Sun. The post shared by the Razi actress was taken from a small story published on the official page of Here Comes The Sun campaign by none other than her BFF Akansha Ranjan Kapoor.
Akansha’s post read, “He seemed happy but I guess we never realized how lonely he felt from within… We had been friends since the 8th grade. My friend was an effortless achiever – he could party endlessly and still ace at his academics. He seemed like he had it all figured out. Sure, there were days when he would want to talk to me about a fight he had with his friends, loved ones, or vent after a particularly bad break up, but those just seemed like everyday teen issues.”
Alia’s friend went on to add, “The year of the incident was absolute hell. The shock was quickly replaced by overwhelming guilt. I felt like I had failed him as a friend…I knew him fairly better than most people, and I still didn’t realize that something was eating away at him…I still feel this knot in my stomach every time I talk about him.”
She wrote that this experience taught her a lesson that if ‘you’re going through something, it’s very important to speak to someone.’ “It could be anyone – a therapist or a friend. There’s no shame in asking for help…it’s actually the bravest thing you can do,” Akansha wrote.
Her personal story was shared by Here Comes The Sun page. Here Comes The Sun is the initiative launched by Shaheen, who herself has had a history of suffering from depression in the past.
Reacting to her sister’s initiative, Alia had said, “I am so so proud of you Shaheen Bhatt… You have taken something so personal and made it a symbol of strength and empathy.
“No one needs to be alone as they struggle with mental health, battling their own fears and anxiety. Sometimes all you need to know that you’re not alone!!! I’m here a 100%.. to start the conversation, to raise awareness and to join you on this journey, EVERY step of the way.”
Alia and Akansha very close friends and they’ve often shared their photos from holiday trips together. On this year’s International Friendship Day, Akansha had written addressing Alia, “My looove, my life, my shawty n my wife ? happy friendship day ya’ll.”
Alia will be next seen in Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra, which also features Amitabh Bachchan and her rumoured boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor. The film is set to release on 25 December this year.