‘Samir Sharma was suffering from mental health issues, and the past few months may have added to his stress’

Actor Samir Sharma, who was a part of the TV show, Yeh Rishte Hain Pyaar Ke, was found dead at his Malad (West) residence on Wednesday night. While the police are awaiting his final post-mortem report, speculations continue about the reason for the 44-year-old actor’s likely death by suicide.
Meanwhile, a close friend of his, on condition of anonymity, told BT that Samir had been battling mental health issues for quite some time now.The friend said, “He was suffering from a mood disorder and had been visiting a psychiatrist. He was a fun-loving guy and whenever we friends would jam together, we would have a good time. But, there were also times when he would completely cut off from all of us. The past few months may have been stressful for him.” Was he facing a financial crunch? “He hadn’t resumed shooting post the lockdown, so yes, he may have been going through some financial issues,” he answered.
Samir’s last rites were performed on Friday evening by his sister and her husband, who flew down from Bengaluru. His aged parents could not make it to Mumbai. When contacted, an official from Malad Police Station said, “We are awaiting the final post-mortem report, but our preliminary investigations reveal that he was suffering from mental health issues.”
Samir, who was originally from Delhi, had moved to Bengaluru post his education. After working there for a few years, he shifted to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting. His wife and he separated a few years ago. The actor, who was into poetry and music, had posted these lines a week ago. It read: “I built my pyre and slept on it, and with my fire, it was lit. And all that was me I burned in it, I killed my dream to wake up from it. Now my dream is gone and with it, I woke up to ashes and I was in it, I took what was left and left it in a stream and hoped my ashes this time have a better dream.”
A couple of weeks ago, he had shared another long post, with the caption, “Read this if you cared about Sushant Singh Rajput”. In it, he had talked about mental health issues like bipolar disorder,
depression and schizophrenia.