Sridevi's Death should be A Wake-up Call, says Dr. Aparna Santhanam

Veteran actress Sridevi's sudden demise due to a massive cardiac arrest has started a conversation around the rigid standards of conformity that Bollywood actresses are expected to adhere to. Dr. Aparna Santhanam writes  how this lovely actress’ early death should actually serve as a wake-up call to the tremendous pressure that actresses as well as regular women face, in an unrelenting world that constantly judges us on the way we look.

I awoke last morning to the tragic news of actress Sridevi’s untimely and sudden demise at the age of 54. Even before the shock and sadness set in, my phone was jammed with various forwards on WhatsApp and Facebook, of speculation, analysis and deep judgement of not only her death but indeed her entire life, a large part of which she had lived on celluloid since adolescence.

I have seen at very close quarters the tremendous pressure to look perfect, the rigid standards of conformity that they are expected to adhere to and the immense insecurities that many of them face.

I have worked with many of these actresses and models. And I have seen at very close quarters the tremendous pressure to look perfect, the rigid standards of conformity that they are expected to adhere to and the immense insecurities that many of them face. Actress Kajol had said a couple of years ago that there was too much pressure on actresses to look only a certain way. This pressure is only compounded by the all prevalent ageism in Bollywood where it is universally believed that an actress who gets married is practically finished and once she becomes a mother, she is relegated to playing on-screen mother roles at times to the same actor who may have romanced her on screen in her youth!

Sridevi was a phenomenal superstar and actress who broke many glass ceilings both in the south and in Bollywood. And yet, she struggled. With her appearance, with a world that panned her for certain features, which complimented her acting with a constant sting attached to her “southernness” of face and figure. And she succumbed a various points, altering her facial appearance, striving for an impossible standard of fitness and indeed, becoming a completely different onscreen person in her second innings as opposed to her first. Her talent was still explosive but this seemed to be a different woman to the one from her heydays of 16 vayadhinile, Sadma, Chandni and Chaalbaaz, someone who still looked beautiful on screen but seemed tired and dwarfed in real life by the demands placed on her by an exacting industry and an ever-judging world.

At least 6 different published studies on the top reasons why women go in for cosmetic enhancements cite three common threads. Low self-esteem, Low self-attractiveness perception and a desire for youth and “normalcy.”

In all this never-ending pursuit of youth, true health and fitness is not even an aspiration. We no longer worry about how we feel, it’s all about how we look. And the women whom the whole world looks at every single day, ready to criticise the tiniest imperfection, may possibly never prioritize their health, physical or psychological.

This lovely actress’ too early death should actually serve as a wake-up call to the tremendous pressure that actresses as well as regular women face, in an unrelenting world that constantly judges us on the way we look.

It is a known medical fact that women, especially post-menopausal, may be prone to sudden, silent heart attacks. Amongst all the known risk factors, stress plays a large role in triggering these. This lovely actress’ too early death should actually serve as a wake-up call to the tremendous pressure that actresses as well as regular women face, in an unrelenting world that constantly judges us on the way we look. Instead of only speculating about her life, it may well be time to look at our own and see if we can ease the pressure on ourselves and on the women whose beauty and talent gives the world so much joy, by learning to be more accepting of aging and the so-called imperfections and by focusing on health and relaxing these ridiculously rigid standards of beauty.

Dr. Aparna Santhanam is a dermatologist, writer and social commentator who believes strongly that holistic health is the only path to responsible beauty. She strongly advocates women's right to choice in every aspect of their lives.

Also Read: Remembering Sridevi Through Her Iconic Roles