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Actor Imran Khan recently addressed how the attitude of his family has changed when it comes to mental health, largely thanks to cousin Ira Khan. Aamir Khan’s daughter and a mental health advocate, Ira has spoken about her battle with depression and encouraged others to open up about mental health issues. “In the past couple of years, at various points, we’ve sat down [and talked]. With Ira starting to really advocate for mental health awareness in the past year and me beginning to emerge back into the public eye and speak about my journey, the joke around home is that we now get together and finally talk about mental well-being, consciousness and healthy patterns. It’s now a thing in our family. We’re trying to support each other in our mental health journeys,” Imran said during a chat with News18 Showsha.
Pointing out that cinema reflects societal changes, Imran stated that historically, mainstream cinema has leaned towards very restricted and stereotypical portrayals of masculinity and femininity.
“Over the past twenty years or so, our cinema has really started to come of age. I think we now have far more positive and inclusive portrayals of masculinity, femininity, and beyond,” he said, adding “Today, we’re talking about queer identity in our movies. It’s a great trend. Having said that, it’s perhaps still not at the place where it’s absolutely mainstream. Our largest commercial successes and the most popular and mainstream content still lean quite heavily into retro portrayals. But we’re definitely doing better. I’m optimistic about it [the road ahead].”
Imran Khan is one of those rare Indian celebrities who spoke out on topics once considered taboo by society long before addressing them became as acceptable as it is today. At a time when Bollywood films often used gay characters for comic effect, Imran joined forces with the comedy group AIB on a video that sharply and sarcastically criticised both the heteronormative attitudes of the time and Section 377, which criminalised all sexual acts “against the order of nature”.
In recent years, Imran has also opened up about his struggles with depression and mental health, rejecting the patriarchal notion of simply “manning up.” Last seen in Katti Batti (2015), he is currently gearing up to return to cinema. Meanwhile, he still remains candid about his vulnerabilities and on the chat show Be A Man Yaar, he had recently discussed his experiences with anxiety attacks, suicidal thoughts and his eventual decision to seek therapy to be present for his daughter Imara. At the screening of the episode held last month, he also addressed toxic masculinity and the need for greater awareness of mental health and healing.
While Imran mentioned in the episode that he couldn’t confide in his uncle and Bollywood icon Aamir Khan about his mental health struggles, he recently affirmed that a lot has changed since becoming more vocal about his experiences. He credited his cousin Ira Khan — Aamir and his first wife Reena Dutta’s daughter — with playing a crucial role in this transformation. Ira now hosts a podcast on mental health and therapy and runs an organisation aimed at improving access to mental well-being. Imran added that discussions about these issues, including with Aamir, have become more open within their family.
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