Pariksha Pe Charcha: Film star Deepika Padukone interacts with students on mental health

Famous film actress, Deepika Padukone, urged the students to focus on their strengths and work on their weaknesses without having fear of failure. She was speaking during the second part of the Pariksha Pe Charcha-2025.

During the interaction with the students, Ms. Padukone said that students must face challenges with clarity and conviction and shouldn’t panic if there is any mistake.

Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with students, the film actress said that it is important that the students should express and never suppress their feelings. She urged students not to bottle up their feelings and to speak openly with family and friends when needed.

She said that it is important to have good sleep, adequate sunlight and to always reach for help if someone is dealing with stress and mental health issues.

Ms Padukone, who is also a mental health advocate, said that mental health issues should not be treated as stigma and that people facing such issues must always express their



feelings.

Ms Padukone said that patience to deal with any situation was the key to success and a strong mechanism to evade stress.

The actress urged the parents to avoid putting excessive pressure on their children during exams. She emphasised that a child’s potential might lie in areas beyond traditional academics.

Ms Padukone said that feeling stressed is natural and it is important that the students must learn how to handle it. She said that a student can be weak in any subject but there is always a different approach to overcome such weaknesses.

Ms Padukone also stressed the importance of extra-curricular activities saying small activities at school can sometimes shape the future of the students.

She remarked that competitions are a part of life and one should always try to learn from their competitors. Ms Padukone urged the students to always challenge themselves in difficult situations and not be bogged down by the fear of failure.