'From grand marriage to divorce; relied on alcohol and suicidal thoughts', Actor Bhagath Manuel opens up

Bhagath Manuel entered mainstream cinema through Vineeth Sreenivasan's film ‘Malarvadi Arts Club' in 2008. The actor later went on to do supporting roles in movies and drifted in and out of the industry, only to make occasional appearances in pivotal roles. In a recent interview, Bhagat opened up about how his family life collapsed after divorce and his bout with alcoholism, which even led him to the brink of considering suicide.

Bhagat Manuel:

“I got married after I entered the film industry. She was from Ernakulam, and we soon became parents of a son. He is now with me. It never came to me that I would end up divorcing my wife. It happened anyway, and I lost control of my life. Alcohol became my respite.

The problems were two-fold, as ours was a love marriage. It took a long time for me to come out of the divorce. Having my son with me was a great blessing. My father and mother raised and brought him up. After the divorce, I stayed in Kochi, so my family knew little of what was going on between us. My marriage was the grandest one conducted in my hometown. At that point in my life, I was living just below Prithviraj's flat.

While I was going through this crisis, all my friends, including Nivin, were busy with work. They might have thought I was also busy with projects, so they didn’t check on me. The isolation was too much to bear, so I resorted to alcohol. My life was almost decaying at this point when my friends intervened to save me. Aju Varghese is one of my best friends. Every day, I will send him a good morning message on WhatsApp. By any chance, if I fail to send the message, a call from Aju will come to my phone. Midhun Manuel is another friend I cherish having. These are all the wealth I have earned in my life.

Seven years back, I married again. This time, I allowed my family to select the bride for me. She is now with me through thick and thin. We have a son. After COVID, my mother started developing health issues. It caused financial difficulties. If not for my friends, my mother would not have been alive today."