Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has carved his own niche in the industry. From doing side roles, to taking an entire film on his shoulders, the actor has proved his mettle in every form. The actor who hails from a small village Budhana situated in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh was recently heard talking about his home place. While doing so, he called depression an ‘urban concept’ born out of privilege.

Nawazuddin’s take on depression

In a conversation with a leading daily, Nawazuddin said that depression is an alien concept to rural people and that all people living in villages are happy. He said that he got knowledge about mental health-related topics, such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, after coming to the city. Nawazuddin also stated that depression comes with money. He said that he comes from a place where, if he would tell his father that he is feeling depressed, he would give him one tight slap. The actor quoted, “Ye shehro mein aake hoti hai, yaha pe har aadmi apne chhote emotions ko bhi bohot glorify karta hai. Jab aapke paas paise date hais toh iss tarah ki beemariya aati jaati hai.”

Netizens react to Nawazuddin’s opinion on depression

Now, Nawazuddin’s statement on depression has caused a stir on social media. Netizens are expressing their displeasure over the actor’s view on the sensitive topic. An enraged user wrote, “Pls stick to acting. Don’t need to give opinions on subjects you have no knowledge about. If you are a human being, you can suffer from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder. Place of living and your profession doesn’t matter. Shameful that you use the platform to spread false claims.”

Another stated, “What a disappointing remark from @Nawazuddin_S. Depression isn’t based on age, gender, background, profession, ethnicity or domicile. Generalising it is dangerous and misleading.” A third one penned in a sarcastic way. It read, “Nawazuddin Siddiqui says depression happens in urban people: ‘No one gets depression in villages’. Ok, let’s ignore farmer’s suicides and assume he is right. If something is an urban concept – do we just ignore it cause it’s urban?” “Good in acting zero in common sense! Depression can be anywhere: science,” said a fourth user.

Meanwhile, Nawazuddin Siddiqui will appear next in Jogira Sara Ra Ra alongside Neha Sharma. Besides this, he has Haddi, Adbhut, Tiku Weds Sheru, Noorani Chehre and Bole Chudiyan in his kitty of films.