Sanjay Dutt, the Bollywood actor more popularly known to his fans as Sanju Baba, has been in the news all day.

The reason is not an upcoming project but a mysterious social media post made by his elder daughter, Trishala Dutt.

The New York based psychotherapist and star kid shared a scathing message on her Instagram story on Monday, stressing the importance of prioritising mental health over preserving family image.

Soon after, controversy grew online about whether Trishala was speaking about her own family or simply sharing a general note for her followers. To understand the context, let’s revisit the time when the star kid had openly discussed her equation with her father, Sanjay Dutt.

In a 2013 interview with HT City, Trishala candidly reflected on the challenges she faced while growing up. Around that period, there was also talk of her wanting to enter the film industry.

Later, however, Sanjay revealed that Trishala had given up her acting ambitions. Speaking about her life, she highlighted how it differed from that of other star kids.

Trishala had shared, “I faced a lot of challenges growing up and till today I face new challenges every day but I always find a way to fix them. Unlike other star kids, I don’t have the luxury to have mommy and daddy help with things. I don’t have the luxury of a father to ‘make a phone call’ or ‘pull a favour’ for me as the others do. It’s hard with no help and you have to do everything on your own.”

She further added, “Then I look at someone like Shah Rukh Khan who did everything on his own with no parents in the industry, no friends, no connections, no nothing. He had a drive for success and he had talent. If he can do it, so can I. Anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it.”

In her latest Instagram story, Trishala wrote: “Not everyone who shares your blood deserves a place in your life. Sometimes, the most draining, invalidating, and dismissive people we know carry the title ‘family’. You're allowed to protect your peace. You're allowed to go low contact, or no contact. You're allowed to choose your mental health over preserving the family image. Because ‘family’ is not a free pass to mistreat, manipulate, or guilt-trip you. You DO NOT owe continued access to anyone who keeps hurting you, even if they raised you. When a parent cares more about how the family appears to the world than how it actually feels to live in it, that’s a problem.”

The Instagram story disappeared after 24 hours, and by Tuesday evening, Trishala had made her social media handle private.