Beautiful, bubbly and talented teenager Jiah was successful in making her mark with her debut movie 'Nishabd' . Jiah actually got recognition as an actor in her first movie itself. We could see her talent in her second movie and a glimpse in the third one in 2010. We did not see much of her in last couple of years, and we are not that extra inquisitive to know the happenings of a young actor’s life. But suddenly the morning news made Jiah all time famous for the last act of her life. The reason behind this ultimate act of Jiah was stated as a phase of professional and personal disappointment. She went through depression due to not having a job for last three years.
Jiah’s death reminded us of few more actresses of yesteryears, like Meena Kumari, Parveen Babi, Divya Bharti whose life ended in a sad note. The last one was Divya, died at the age of nineteen. Though we missed her for sometime, inevitably someone else had taken her place.
Meena Kumari was one of the most prominent actresses to have appeared on the celluloid world of Bollywood. She is often cited as " Tragedy Queen" – both in recognition of her frequent portrayal of melancholic and dramatic roles in her films, and as a reference to her real-life story. Her love for Kamal Amrohi, a married man, her short lived marriage and subsequent divorce and the struggle to lead a lonely life, took entire happiness from Meena Kumari’s life, and made it akin to the character’s she often portrayed on the screen.
A talented poetess, Meena, when she fell in love with Kamal Amrohi, expressed it wonderfully when she wrote:
"Dil saa jab saathi paya
Bechaini bhi woh saath le aaya"
(When I found someone like my heart
He also brought sorrow with him)
Bechaini bhi woh saath le aaya"
(When I found someone like my heart
He also brought sorrow with him)
Her anguish was visible in the lines:
"Talaaq to day rahay ho Nazar-e-qehar ke saath
Jawani bhi meri lauta do Mehar ke saath"
(You are divorcing me with rage in your eyes
Return to me, also, my youth along with the alimony!)
Sadly though, Meena Kumari who could express her feelings so vividly, could not control the manifestations of her emotions. Struggling throughout her life to be understood and loved, Meena Kumari found solace in alcohol and ultimately surrendered her life to liver cirrhosis.
It’s time that we learn from other’s life and go out asking for help who have successfully handled such phases in life. There are many, but life of Rekha could be depicted as a school of emotional strength. Rekha was born to Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and Telugu actress Pushpavalli. Her parents were not married, and her father did not acknowledge his paternity during her childhood. While looking for a footing in Bollywood, Rekha revealed her origins, covering the scars of a rejected identity.
Rekha also had ups and down of her relationships, success and failures. Suicide of her Delhi-based industrialist husband, Mukesh Aggarwal, just one year after the marriage was a big blow to Rekha. To add to it, many people in her life and around her accused her, overtly and secretly, of being responsible for her husband’s death. However, Rekha did not allow any such thoughts and emotions to take charge of her life. No doubt it was a tough phase in her life but the ‘diva’ handled it gracefully and successfully. She garnered the emotional strength herself.
There is hardship in everyone’s life. India has about 40 million unemployed youth, for whom every morning brings a ray of hope and a day of struggle. No one can give emotional strength, it’s the individual who has to cultivate and nurture such strength. There are many Meenas and Jiah’s amongst us, who could be successful and have contended lives. They only need to learn to control their emotions and to set their sights on a bright future. We wish all of them to have a happy ending in their life.
