Lara Dutta recounts her terrifying near-drowning incident and how Akshay Kumar saved her (Source: PH Photo via Express Archives). Unexpected, life-threatening experiences can leave a lasting psychological imprint, especially when they occur suddenly and without preparation. Actor Lara Dutta recently revisited one such experience from early in her career, when a routine shoot turned dangerous. During a sequence filmed in the ocean with co-star Akshay Kumar for the 2003 film Andaaz, a sudden wave pulled them underwater, and she did not know how to swim.. Recalling the moment during a conversation with Asian Television Network Canada, she said, “I went underwater, wearing leather, didn’t know how to swim, sank like a rock,” highlighting just how vulnerable she was in that situation. She was eventually brought back to safety by Kumar, but the incident resulted in hypothermic shock and required immediate medical attention.. What followed is equally telling. The experience left behind a deep fear of water, something many people can relate to after a traumatic event. Years later, when Kumar encouraged her to take on a role in the film Blue that required underwater work, her instinct was to refuse. Reflecting on that moment, she shared, “At 30, he asked me to learn diving. I said mai hi pagal mili hu (I’m the only mad one here),” capturing both the hesitation and disbelief that often accompany being asked to face a fear head-on. Despite this, she went on to learn to swim and gradually overcame the fear the earlier incident had created.. Her experience highlights how people process fear, trauma, and recovery differently, and raises broader questions about resilience, exposure, and emotional healing after distressing events.. After a highly distressing experience, what kind of psychological responses are most common?. Sonal Khangarot, licensed rehabilitation counsellor and psychotherapist, The Answer Room, tells indianexpress.com, “After a near-death or highly distressing experience, individuals commonly show acute stress responses such as hypervigilance, intrusive memories, sleep disturbance, emotional numbness, and heightened startle reactions. Drawing from The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, trauma is not only remembered cognitively but stored in the body, often surfacing through somatic symptoms like tension, fatigue, or unexplained pain. People may also experience dissociation, where they feel detached from themselves or reality as a protective mechanism.”. She continues, “Insights from How We Die by Sherwin B. Nuland highlight how proximity to death can disrupt one’s sense of control and existential stability, leading to anxiety or existential questioning. Lingering trauma can be recognised when these responses persist, impair functioning, or create a chronic sense of unsafety.”. Is confronting a fear an effective way to heal?. Confronting a fear linked to a past traumatic experience can be therapeutic, but only whe
