By Ahana Bhattacharya

Mumbai, Jan 6 (IANS): Suicide can never be a solution to the problems you are facing, feels Supriya Pilgaonkar. In her latest short film "Baatein", the veteran actress plays a mother who has just lost her son, who committed suicide.

Talking about her character in the short film, Supriya told IANS: "The film deals with the story of a mother, Mrs Deshpande whose son has committed suicide. The mother is not what you generally see, sitting and crying and very emotional. She has accepted this fact, which shows her personality. She is grieving for her son but at the same time dealing with life as well. It's about how a person can turn a very negative situation into a positive one. It ends with an optimistic and positive note."

The actress also shared why she liked the character. "There is an unconventional take to the mother's character. She has really moved ahead in life. Sometimes people smile only to hide their pain. Mrs Deshpande is a very understanding woman who hides her pain with her smile. When a read the script, I fell in love with the character because it is so different and gracefully written."

In our country, suicide rate among the youth is alarmingly high. Common causes of suicide among students include academic pressure and depression. Supriya Pilgaonkar feels, a suicidal person should be dealt with very patiently and with a non-judgemental mindset.

The actress shared: "Suicide can never be a solution to whatever problems you are facing. I feel counselling is a very good way to explain this to students. Parents are also increasingly becoming aware of the fact that suicide is rate among students is quite high in our country. You need not open an agency for counselling. A family member can also talk to a student and explain things to him or her. A student who is feeling pressurized should be patiently heard first. The family has to be open-minded and non-judgemental while dealing with him or her."

The short film "Baatein" has been directed by Adeeb Rais who also features in it alongside Supriya Pilgaonkar and Shivani Raghuvanshi. The 20-minute-long film is available on YouTube.