The suicide of TV serial actor Sushil Kumar, better known as Sushil Gowda, at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Mandya on Wednesday, has left the Kannada TV industry in a state of shock. While the reasons for him taking the extreme step are still unknown, industry insiders say pressure and lack of work might have taken a toll on his morale.
Sushil was noticed and recognised for his role in the soap opera ‘Anthapura’. He had also worked in the Kannada movie ‘Kamarottu Checkpost’ before he landed a cop’s role in the yet-to-be-released Duniya Vijay-starrer ‘Salaga’.
His death comes in the backdrop of the lockdown and the indefinite postponement of shooting for TV serials and movies which has rendered thousands jobless. As a gym instructor, it appeared like Sushil was in further financial trouble with the government yet allow the reopening of fitness centres.
Actor and director B Suresha feels that there could be multiple reasons that leave young artistes disturbed. “Television actors with regular work begin to earn anything between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 a day and within 15 days, they would have made a decent amount. They hanker after more work and when they are able to maintain a steady income of a lakh or more a month, they begin to buy new cars, take loans for a house and end up with multiple instalments. And suddenly, when their incomes do not match their expenditure, depression and desperation set in. Sometimes people are unable to shoulder the many financial commitments that they have landed themselves in,” explains Suresha.
Why don’t film bodies, like the television association and the film chamber, come to the rescue of these young talents and encourage them? Suresha says, “Any association will be strong when hit by a disaster. Associations are established only when disaster strikes. Many in the industry are afraid of nurturing and promoting talents, who are a part of certain associations. We have also noticed that channels have their own nepotism and promote their favourite actors. When original content is not churned out, channels look for new talent and dubbed content to keep their profits rolling,” he adds.
Sunil Puranik, senior actor, producer and president of Karnataka Chalanchitra Academy, thinks it is important for budding actors to learn how to handle success. “He (Sushil) had the perfect look and physique required for the entertainment industry. Many a time, youngsters fail to understand that success is not permanent. After one good opportunity, they change their lifestyle drastically. But in a cut-throat environment, it is difficult to stay at the top. Young actors need to battle it out and learn how to handle failure too,” he explains.
Puranik, who has more than three decades of experience in acting, said the pandemic has exposed the dismal reality of the television world. “It’s only because of the coronavirus situation that we are hearing news about many upcoming artists struggling without work. But the fact is, in the television industry, only 50 per cent of them are always busy. The rest are constantly looking for a break,” he said. He feels there must be a separate body to deal with the problems of the television industry.
Senior anchor and actor Sujatha Akshaya says talking to close friends and family will surely help one tide over tough times. “I was extremely disappointed to hear the news. Every serial team has a WhatsApp group. I wish he had shared his problems with his friends. The Karnataka Television Association is supportive and always comes to the rescue of those in distress,” she says.
She has worked with Sushil in the popular television soap ‘Radha Ramana’ (aired on Colours Kannada). Sujatha echoes Puranik’s thoughts on the need for a separate body to help actors in distress. “A body like FIRE promotes gender sensitivity and self-defence in the Kannada film industry. Similarly, a body that is sensitive towards people’s mental health should be established for the members of the film fraternity,” she adds.
Many artistes, due to the pandemic, have had to stop shooting. Members of the technical crew have had to seek alternate employment and many producers are struggling to repay loans that they’ve taken for production purposes, S V Shivakumar, producer and president of the Karnataka Television Association, tells Showtime.
“Many have lost their jobs, almost overnight. We have also seen many channels adding to the woes of artistes by promoting dubbed content. Channels are big business houses that can survive the onslaught of a distressful situation, unleashed by the pandemic, but individuals struggle to make both ends meet,” he says. He is contemplating establishing an independent body to help in counselling the artistes and addressing their concerns.
Deepa Bhaskar, who plays Subbalakshmi in the television soap ‘Subbalakshmi Samsara’, concedes that there is a lot of “silent pressure” in the industry. “There’s always pressure in terms of making sure you look good all the time and meet a certain standard of acting. Nobody tells you anything, but the atmosphere is such that you feel the pressure all the time,” says Deepa.
She also says that channels and producers are always on the lookout for fresh faces, “I have been lucky to get work, but I see many who are still struggling to get the right break,” she adds. She feels it helps to share one’s fears with family and close friends. “Being open helps cope with the pressure and also brings you in terms with reality,” says Deepa.