Surveen Chawla, a recognizable name across films, popular television shows, and OTT series in Bollywood, Punjabi, and South Indian cinema, has openly shared the personal struggles that marked her early life. Despite her professional achievements, she faced significant societal condemnation for her first relationship, which began at a young age, leading to a period of depression in her teenage years.
In a candid interview, Surveen revealed she had her first boyfriend at the age of 15. “People would talk a lot about it. When my then-boyfriend broke up with me, I started dating his friend, so I was shamed even more. They called me all kinds of names like rdi, fing slt, and such things. I went into depression because of that.” She elaborated that this occurred while she was in 9th standard, and the depression lasted for approximately a year, even triggering migraines. She noted that discussions surrounding mental health were virtually nonexistent during that era.
Surveen also recounted her path to recovery from this challenging phase. “I went to our family general physician, and he gave me medications for migraine, that’s that. There was no coming out of it as such. There was only coming out of it with experience and understanding. We had to deal with shit and get out of it ourselves. That generation learnt it like that only.” She explained that her parents were unaware of her depression at the time, only becoming exposed to and engaging in conversations about such topics in recent years.
Surveen further described her upbringing in a conservative, patriarchal family where subjects like feminism, sex education, and mental health were not typically discussed.
