Always express yourself: Deepika Padukone to students on mental health at Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025

Referring to the line 'express, never suppress' from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's book Exam Warriors, Deepika asked the students to always share their thoughts with people whom they trust.

"Always express yourself, whether it's with your friends, family, parents, teachers. Journaling is a great way to express yourself," the actress said. 

Deepika, who is among various personalities taking part in the Pariksha Pe Charcha this year, suggested multiple ways through which they could deal with their stress.

"Focus on the things that you can control like preparation, sleeping well and eating at the right time. Do some meditation while feeling stressed on the night before [the examination], talk to your parents and teachers," the 39-year-old said and added, "Identifying the cause of your stress and expressing it with somebody whom you trust could be one of the ways of dealing with stress."

Deepika, who claimed to be weak in Mathematics, shared she was always driven towards "extracurricular activities".

"I was a very naughty kid... I have always been more interested in extracurricular activities," the 'Padmaavat' actress, who leads Live Love Laugh Foundation that deals with mental health issues, said.

Sharing the teaser of her episode on social media, Deepika earlier thanked PM Modi for the opportunity and wrote, "'Pariksha Pe Charcha' is back with its 8th Edition! And this time we’ll also be discussing the importance of Mental Health. Thank you Honourable Prime Minister @narendramodi for your commitment towards this cause."

In response, the Prime Minister wrote in an Instagram story, "Among the most common topics #ExamWarriors want to discuss is mental health and wellbeing. Therefore, this year's Pariksha Pe Charcha has an episode specially dedicated to this topic which will play tomorrow, 12th February. And we have Deepika Padukone, who is very passionate about this subject, talking about it."

Pariksha Pe Charcha is an event where the Prime Minister interacts with students, parents, and teachers, offering insights on exam preparation, stress management, and personal growth.

In a twist to the programme's eighth edition, eight episodes are planned to be rolled out this year.

Each episode will feature prominent personalities including Prime Minister Modi, whose segment was broadcasted on Monday.

Apart from Modi, Deepika, other personalities who would interact with students include Sadhguru, Mary Kom, Vikrant Massey, Bhumi Pednekar.

While PM Modi featured in the inaugural episode, Deepika's segment was aired on various platforms on Wednesday.