Deepika Padukone: xXx star HITS BACK at actor over depression comments

Bollywood megastar Padukone was opening up about her own mental health struggles when she took aim at Khan for calling depression a “luxury”.

Khan had been quoted as saying last year: “I see a lot of people getting depressed and emotional, but I can’t afford that luxury of being depressed or sad or emotional because no matter what I am going through, it works against me.”

But now, Padukone – while not mentioning Khan by name – has articulated why his comment was so misguided.

She told Vogue: “The word that best describes my experience of depression is struggle.

“Every second was a struggle. I felt exhausted the whole time.”

She added: “People confuse it with being a bit sad.

“A male star said recently that he didn’t have the luxury to be depressed. As if depression is a choice!”

Padukone – who crossed over to Hollywood in 2017 with xXx: Return of Xander Cage – has always been admirably open about her mental health.

“”There is this perception that if you have everything – fame, money, family – why should one be depressed,” she previously told India Today.

“It is important to understand what depression is and why it happens. It is a clinical condition that is beyond your control.”

The star has a busy slate at the moment: she’s currently working on ’83 with her husband Ranveer Singh, which tells the story of the Indian cricket team’s world cup win 1983.

She’s also starring in and producing Chhapaak, about an acid attack survivor.

xXx 4, the sequel to Xander Cage, has been in the pipeline for a long time but there has been no news for months now on when it will start shooting.

In the meantime, she’s been linked to a massive new big-budget trilogy from Nitesh Tiwari and Ravi Udyawar, which would see her starring opposite Hrithik Roshan.

Roshan has allegedly been approached to play Lord Ram in Ramayana, while Padukone is being courted for the role of Sita.

Tiwari recently said the project will be an exciting “challenge”, telling ETimes: “I am looking forward to work in Ramayana, something that I am really excited about.

“It is a challenge for me as I have a sense of responsibility to bring the project in its true form of glory for the country.”