Vicky Kaushal says dad Sham Kaushal thought of suicide due to joblessness, was ‘willing to work as a sweeper in Mumbai’ | Bollywood FilmyMeet

Vicky Kaushal – busy promoting his upcoming film Bad Newz – recalled his father Sham Kaushal’s struggles in Punjab, before he moved to Mumbai and became a well-known action director in films. In an interview with Raj Shamani, Vicky said that his father had even contemplated suicide because he was without a job as the actor spoke about taking up acting after studying engineering and ‘passing with good marks and landing a job’. Also read: Vicky Kaushal’s father Sham Kaushal was told he won’t survive after cancer diagnosis

‘We had no land’

He said in Hindi, “My parents were very happy with the idea of me having a regular (9-5) job. My grandfather had a small kirane ki dukaan (grocery shop) in our village in Punjab. That’s where my parents are from. Dad came to Mumbai in 1978. He had an MA in English literature, but he was still jobless. We had no land back there (in Punjab). One day, after drinking with his friends, he declared that he wants to die. My grandfather became very concerned, so he sent him to Mumbai with a friend.”

‘My dad’s youth was full of struggles’

Vicky added, “In Mumbai, my dad was willing to work as a sweeper even, because he knew that nobody in the village would get to know. My dad’s youth was full of struggles. There’s no job security in this field. While you’re working on one project, you’re wondering if you’ll find something else next. My family was genuinely very happy that finally someone is going to have a stable income, job security, off days. He (my father) was so happy. He felt like his struggles had finally paid off. But I just knew that I couldn’t do a conventional 9-5 job. I had an offer letter, I’d passed with good marks.. but I knew that I’d become depressed if I went ahead with it.”

Sham’s film career

Sham worked as a stuntman for many years before getting his big break as an independent action director in 1990. He has been working in the industry for over four decades and has contributed to films in Bollywood and Hollywood. His first movie as an action director was Indrajaalam (1990), a Malayalam film.

In Bollywood, Sham has worked as an action director in films such as Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), PK (2014), Padmaavat (2018), Sanju (2018), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), and Simmba (2018). He has also worked on international projects such as the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).