Neha Dhupia: People have been perennially trivialising mental health

Neha Dhupia

Mental health has been a raging discussion throughout the pandemic, and that's what drove Neha Dhupia to greenlight Step Out. The short film, featuring Dhupia and directed by Hridaye Nagpal, has been produced under her banner, Big Girl Productions. "Domestic violence cases saw a 10-year high during the lockdown. There was a 20 per cent increase in mental health cases. These are alarming numbers that finally led to a conversation on self-care."

"People have been perennially trivialising mental health by saying, ‘Koi baat nahin, eat something yummy' or ‘Go out with friends'. I want people to stop judging each other," says Dhupia, whose short film aims to normalise dialogue around depression and mental health.

The psychological thriller is her first fiction feature under the banner, which also produces her chat show No Filter Neha. As a budding producer, she admits she doesn't have a blueprint for future endeavours. "Film production is hard. When I heard the script, I knew I had to back this subject. But there are no hard and fast rules. I will wait for five years for another script to speak to me. My production house is largely a one-man army and I have no expansion plans."