Death stalks the catwalk

When model Rinky Chaudhary was found dead in her Mumbai apartment last month, the first to be blamed was her boyfriend Sahil Malik, who found her hanging from the kitchen ceiling. Chaudhary's suicide brings back memories of model Viveka Babajee who had also killed herself in similar fashion earlier this year. Her death had landed her boyfriend, businessman Gautam Vora, in trouble as the immediate primary accused. Another accused was Kartik Jobanputra, Babajee's former business partner, with whom she had a joint venture. Her suicide was quickly followed by that of another model, Natasha Padbidri, in what psychiatrists call a copycat effect.

After former Miss India, model and veejay Nafisa Joseph killed herself in 2004, businessman Gautam Khanduja was blamed for abetment of suicide. They were engaged, but Joseph had called off the wedding as Khanduja was already married. Khanduja, however, blamed Joseph's earlier broken engagements with actor Sameer Soni and model Sameer Malhotra for her depression.

There is a high level of anxiety among those in the glamour world. "A lot of value is put on relationships and often a person's entire self-worth is dependent on these. When the high expectations and demands from their partners are not met, it results in depression and low self-esteem," says Dr Jalpa Bhuta, psychiatrist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai.

Nafisa Joseph 2004 - Former Miss India-Universe and veejay committed suicide over her relationship with her boyfriend, who was already married. She had been engaged twice earlier.

Geentajali Nischol 2008 - Actor Navin Nischol's wife tried to kill herself. She was prone to mood swings and was under medication for depression.

Sarah Jane Dias agrees. The 27-year-old former Miss India has moved on to acting and is feeling the heat. "Everybody has stress, gets depressed and has broken relationships. But in the glamour world, it gets printed or blown up on television. This makes it even more difficult to cope with," she says. If you are in the television industry it is difficult to decide what to do and what projects to say no to and, worst of all, to wait between projects. "The unpredictability is stressful. Work shifts can go anywhere from 50-60 hours," says TV actor Roshni Chopra, who fainted on the sets because she was working non-stop for 52 hours. The challenge doesn't begin only after achieving success and fame. The initial stages can be demanding, more so if one doesn't hit the right note. "During my auditions for Channel V's Veejay Hunt, I had to travel a lot. Seeing the thousands of other participants intimidated me," says Dias.

Anupam Kher, actor and acting tutor, feels the glamour world is like a lottery where everyone knows you are there to make it big. He says, "Ninety per cent of those who come here are looking for instant fame and think that a diploma from an acting academy is their ticket to it." Kher works with a lot of people from small towns. "They come with stars in their eyes because they see a Dhoni, a Shah Rukh and a Saina," he says.

Huge competition in the glamour world makes it difficult to have friends from within the industry. Friends from outside of the industry can help in providing a perspective beyond the fantasy world, but are difficult to retain. There are too many people jostling for their share of the limelight. The profession comes with a short shelf-life and an unrealistic expectation to look perfect all the time. The constant public scrutiny puts tremendous pressure on them to deliver or the lingering fear of losing the fame they have already achieved. "We work in a make-believe world where everything is beautiful and perfect," says Dias.

In most suicide cases in the world of shimmer and shine, it's a conflict between professional and personal lives. Malik was financially dependent on Chaudhary and would beat her up when she confronted him about his previous relationships. Babajee and Vora were business partners. Financial muddles often lead to conflicts between the couple, and sometimes even depression.

On February 8, 2006, model and actor Kuljeet Randhawa had hanged herself at her Mumbai flat as she could not "cope with life's pressures". The same year, Geetanjali Nischol, wife of actor Navin Nischol, also hung herself, blaming her husband for her death. She was prone to mood swings and was under medication for depression. On July 11 this year, 30-year-old Padbidri committed suicide at her Versova home as her assignments had dried up and she was deeply unhappy.

Glamour walks tall on the catwalks of Mumbai but death seems to be a stealthy companion.