MUMBAI — Actress Neha Dhupia, who plays a therapist named Madhu in the upcoming series “Perfect Family,” said the project resonated with her because it tackles mental health issues that affect people across society.
Dhupia said the series uses its characters to highlight both healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms, underscoring the importance of seeking help before destructive patterns take root.
“I also think there are two types of coping mechanisms — good ones and bad ones,” she said in a statement. “Good coping mechanisms can be many things… Girija said her coping mechanism is music and singing, while mine is going for a run. But in the trailer, you see Niti and Vishnu using coping mechanisms that are very unhealthy or at least unhealthy to a certain extent. And that’s exactly the point: before you reach a stage where you depend on an unhealthy coping mechanism, why not seek help?”
She added that therapy often requires having “one person who isn’t family, isn’t a friend, isn’t biased” to recognize when something is harmful and help pull someone back before they go too far.
Dhupia said the script came to her at a moment when the subject felt especially timely. “For me, when the script came, the timing of my life, the timing of the script, and everything happening in society aligned perfectly. It felt important that someone should take this subject and make something on it,” she said. “Some stories act like a stepping point, like a diving board before you jump into the deep end. Therapy is also a jump into the deep end. One part is believing you need therapy; the harder part is telling someone else, ‘I really think you should seek help.’”
Reflecting on how therapy is perceived in many Indian households, she said societal conditioning often prevents people from speaking openly about their struggles. “If a daughter feels she needs therapy, people judge her — even parents say, ‘Why do you need it? You’re fine.’ But when you watch Perfect Family, you see it’s all of us, you, me, her,” she said.
“Somewhere, we all feel suppressed; somewhere, we stop ourselves from speaking up, and that’s conditioning. I hope Perfect Family inspires people to understand therapy, communication, co-existing, and undoing those layers with love, space, happiness, and respect.”
“Perfect Family,” directed by Sachin Pathak, features a cast that includes Manoj Pahwa, Seema Pahwa, Girija Oak, and Gulshan Devaiah. The series releases November 27 on the Jar Series YouTube channel. It is produced by Ajay Rai of Jhaar Pictures, with Mohit Chhabra and Pankaj Tripathi serving as debut producers. (Source: IANS)
