![]() ![]() The record-label owner Dhingra (a brilliant Piyush Mishra), gets news of Jordan’s ( Ranbir Kapoor, in one of the finest performances of his career) arrest. There is a scene in Imtiaz Ali’s film Rockstar that has stayed with me. The only trouble with artists is that they often become accomplices in their own exploitation, truly believing it to be the only path to supposed greatness. ![]() Which is par for the course with almost any industry that relies on human capital. The exploitative tendencies of industries that thrive off creativity are pretty much an open secret. That in the process they most probably permanently damaged the guy’s self-esteem and psyche was irrelevant. He spoke with great pride about a young boy whose ego they had systematically cut to size to fit the requirements of a role. A couple of years ago, I had the misfortune of attending a session by a casting director. The fact that it may come at the cost of an artist’s life has always been of little significance. As most creative minds in my close circle keep repeating, heartbreak is a bestseller. The trouble, as another member, a poet and journalist, pointed out, was that the artistic community and its audience did not see their tragic lives as a problem. While their poems and couplets were legendary, their personal lives were far from ideal.Īs most creative minds in my close circle keep repeating, heartbreak is a bestseller. A group member, who is a poet and a writer quoted the examples of poets like Majaz Lakhnawi, who battled with alcoholism and several mental health issues before succumbing to them prematurely, and Jaun Elia, whose temper was about as famous as his alcoholism. There was a collective anguish over the glorification of depression and substance abuse among artists, ostensibly as a state of mind that is conducive and perhaps essential to the creation of great art. In the wake of an unfortunate incident within the community, when a beloved veteran poet from our city Lucknow lost his life after a year-long struggle with depression-related illnesses, several others came forward with their personal battles. From Van Gogh’s “Starry Nights” to Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, there is an endless list of artistic masterpieces that are literally and metaphorically soaked in blood and tears, where the greatness (and the market worth) of the art was morbidly, but effectively enhanced by the miseries of their creators.Ī literary group on WhatsApp that I am part of, was recently agog with discussion on the importance of mental health among artists – poets, writers, and musicians. The artists know it, and so does the market. There is something highly alluring about the idea of deep sorrow and depression acting as a springboard for great pieces of art. The trouble is that the perception of a tortured artist is so glorified that it has now become perversely aspirational. “Is losing relationships really essential,” she wondered, “Is our mental health of no importance? Why can’t writers and artists have a healthy and functional life and also create good art?” “That is ridiculous,” a friend and fellow artist took strong exception when someone quoted these lines. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it.” It could mean not eating for three or four days. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. “If you’re going to try, go all the way,” poet and author Charles Bukowski famously said. ![]()
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