Sameer Soni: I have shared some of the worst moments of my life

‘I’m not feeling very well. Tired and fed up. I hope that I will get the job. I don’t want to pass on my insecurities to other people. Aur Main Nahi…’ lines from a page from actor Sameer Soni’s diary, which he shares in his book My Experiments with Silence: The Diary of an Introvert (Om Books), gives readers a glimpse into some of the difficult phases of his life and how he faced them.

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During the pandemic, the publishing house had reached out to him with the idea of ​​a memoir. But Sony wasn’t keen on a memoir. “We were neck-deep in the pandemic; I saw what everyone was doing. I thought if I shared what I wrote in my diary, people would relate to it,” he says over the phone from Mumbai. The timing of the book was appropriate given the increasing focus on mental health.

The pages of his diary were carefully chosen so as not to be repetitive, and intertwined with the events of his childhood and the challenges he faced early in his acting career and personal life.

In the opening chapter, Sonny reveals the dichotomy of gearing up for a high and low point together – the premiere of her first film and her divorce.

“I have shared some of the lowest moments of my life. I want to tell people, especially young people who are starting their career, that it is okay. I may be seen as a success story today, but this book details my journey before I reached this point.”

They had no problem sharing personal accounts; Instead, he was eager to see how it would be achieved.

Sony sometimes keeps penning down his thoughts. “Writing helps to de-clutter my mind. I don’t feel the urge to put pen to paper as often as before. These days, I can often solve issues in my head.”

being self aware

He agrees that this ability to find resolutions stems from being wiser over time. “I’ve also become more self-aware.”

Soni says that he has always been an introvert. Acting helped him open up and he found it liberating. “I was eight or nine years old when I used to go to a theater workshop for a school play. I knew nothing about acting, but I enjoyed expressing my feelings. It was cathartic. Think about it, it’s logical that introverts find expression through art, whether it’s painting, music, or acting. As introverts, we absorb more than we express. Art sets us free. Even today, what I enjoy the most is the ability to perform more than anything else related to showbiz.”

Long before the discussion on mental health intensified, Soni consulted a physician. “I can’t remember who first put me to a therapist. Years ago, I had no idea what I was dealing with as anxiety. I was going through a bad phase and knew that a friend or Talking to a family member will not be enough.

His career in television and cinema has had its share of ups and downs. He shares some “this is” moments in the book, when proper recognition seemed so close, yet so far. He jokingly recounted his third ‘This Is It Moment’ at an award ceremony. He went upstairs to collect his prize, and just then, the lights and microphone went off and people started walking back home; He smiled and rehearsed his thank you speech for the cameras that were recording it for broadcast at a later date.

There are some key points in the book that can be applicable to budding actors and anyone looking to establish themselves in their chosen field. Talking about the list of budding actors, with the Instagram reel and other social media mandates, he says, “There are more opportunities today; You can do a short film and make it available on YouTube, which was not possible 15 years ago. There are other factors of stress. You need to be self-aware so that you know why you are pursuing an art form or job. Ask yourself if your job makes you happy. It is also important for parents and those around young people to understand this and not push them towards an ever-changing definition of success. ,