Mumbai Sep 10 (IANS) Bollywood veteran Suresh Oberoi, recently seen in films like Animal and Kabir Singh, once thought anger was a constant companion, simply a part of who he was.

Reflecting on it, he mentioned that he often carried the intensity of a role home. “If I came home angry, I would bang the door, hammer the bell, and shout at everyone, so much so that even the dog would hide under the sofa,” he recalls. Elaborating further, Suresh highlighted that he was someone once ruled by anger and ego, who eventually found transformation through spirituality. Back then, people around Oberoi would reinforce his anger, applauding his outbursts as if they were marks of authority.

Over time, that applause went silent. Oberoi began to realise he wasn’t just acting out roles; he was acting out of control. The breakthrough came when he began to understand anger not as temperament but as a symptom. Anger wasn’t a quirk of personality; it was, as he now puts it, a “spiritual illness”. Weak “soul health”, he explains, just as weak physical immunity makes the body fall sick, weak spiritual immunity makes the soul prone to illnesses like anger, jealousy, fear, and worry.

His first attempts at change were clumsy: scribbling reminders like “don’t get angry”, tying knots in his handkerchief to stop himself from lashing out, and repeating affirmations like “Smile, be happy.” These efforts, he admits, only scratched the surface. The old habits were too deeply ingrained. Family played a quiet but steady role in this change. Seeing the impact his moods had at home and recognising the example he was setting for his children pushed him to confront what kind of legacy he wanted to leave behind. Through meditation, reflection, and daily affirmations, Oberoi slowly replaced anger with awareness. The impulses dulled, and calmness became second nature.

“Earlier, anger was my habit,” he explains. “Now peace has become my habit. I don’t have to try.” Today, Oberoi defines spirituality as freedom, freedom from ego, anger, fear, and dependency on external validation. He admits that in his earlier life, success meant a Mercedes in the driveway, bottles of whisky at home, lavish meals and applause from the world, but now, his measure of success is simple: inner peace. He states that for anyone who has ever excused their temper as “just the way I am”, his story is proof that change is possible. Anger and ego are not destiny. With awareness and consistent effort, they can be replaced by calm, compassion, and clarity.

–IANS

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