Archana Puran Singh’s son Aaryamann Sethi, who first gained popularity through his mother’s vlogs and later launched his own YouTube channel, recently opened up about his difficult journey with mental health and his shattered dream of becoming a professional footballer. In his latest vlog, Aaryamann spoke candidly about struggling with depression and anxiety, and how two serious fractures in his leg eventually ended his promising football career—despite once being the second-fastest under-13 player in Maharashtra and securing four goals against Pakistan.
Speaking to his younger brother Ayushman Sethi and mother Archana, Aaryamann said, “When I started playing football, that’s when my darkness became harder to deal with. The environment in sports is extremely competitive, and because I have heightened emotions, I am also hyper-competitive. I wanted to be the best and that drove me.”
He also revealed that he faced bullying from senior players, which eventually affected his own behaviour. “I was bullied, and then I bullied others. When I look back on my life, I feel like I grew up around so much aggression that it became difficult for me not to be aggressive,” he admitted.
Being the son of well-known celebrities Archana Puran Singh and Parmeet Sethi also made his childhood lonelier. “I was always an outsider. People looked at me like, ‘Oh, he is a celebrity’s son.’ I was the ‘rich kid’ to them. I was always kept at a distance. I was good at football, so I often played with older boys and they bullied me. They would sideline me, steal my things, and I wouldn’t understand what was happening. But when I played with kids my age, I was fine—though sometimes I ended up becoming the bully. Now it feels unnecessary and I feel bad about it.”
Archana added that Aaryamann is someone who carries guilt. “One thing about Aary is that he never forgets if he has hurt anyone. He will remember it for years. That’s why he is a vegetarian and even hesitates to kill a mosquito,” she said.
‘Mom and dad would fight all the time’
Aaryamann explained that much of his aggression stemmed from unresolved pain. “I have realised that I hurt people when I am going through pain. Anger is pain. Through therapy, I am understanding that now. As part of my therapy, I was asked to talk to my anger. I realised it all came from the experiences I have had in life. Some things I can’t even talk about. Mom and dad were not in a good space at that time. I would see them fight. It was all too much to take. I felt like I was fighting the world.” He also recalled facing bullying and racism while studying in England.
“In England also, I felt like I was fighting the world. I was bullied there too and experienced racism. Being called brown didn’t bother me as much, but those interactions were unpleasant. I couldn’t understand why I had to face all that. It’s very difficult to come out of that mindset. And then I broke my leg.”
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Aaryamann also spoke about convincing his father, Parmeet Sethi, to let him pursue football professionally. “I wanted to play football but dad wasn’t convinced because football didn’t—and still doesn’t—have a strong future in India. But I was adamant. Dad told me, ‘If you want to do this, you’ll follow everything I say.’ I agreed. He told me I couldn’t attend parties anymore. I was just nine years old—those were birthday parties. I even had an 8 pm curfew.”
His father’s tough training pushed him hard. “Dad once told me, ‘You are a very lazy player. You are fat and lazy.’ That hurt. But he also said that skills mean nothing if you can’t reach the ball. He turned me into a machine. Within four months of training, I became the second-fastest under-13 player in Maharashtra. I played for Maharashtra and later for India.”
Hit four goals against Pakistan
Archana then recalled one of the proudest moments of his career. “You went to Iran and played there for India. In one match against Pakistan, you scored four goals. Your coach called me and said, ‘Ma’am, your son Aaryamann Sethi has scored four goals against Pakistan.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God!’”
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Aaryamann added, “I scored nine goals in six games. I played really well. After that, mom worked very hard to help me fulfil my dream of playing in the English Premier League.” Pointing to his mother, he said she even arranged a trial for him at Queens Park Rangers. “You got me a trial at Queen’s Park Rangers. They told us that if I were a local boy, they would definitely give me a chance. That’s when you decided to start my schooling there so I could get that opportunity.”
Fractured leg led to fractured dream
However, things took a tragic turn. “I moved to London and joined a lovely school. But I broke my leg there—it was a hairline fracture. I returned to India and played for Maharashtra again. This time my leg shattered right in front of my parents. I couldn’t get up. I was terrified that my parents would be angry with me. I was crying because I felt my dream of becoming a footballer was over.”
Despite the setback, he made one last attempt to pursue his dream. “But I still tried again. I went back to England because I couldn’t give up on my dream. I had a rod in my leg after surgery and whenever I played, my wound would bleed. But I kept trying.” He said the experience eventually became emotionally exhausting. “In my second year there, people thought I had bought my place in the club because I had become so bad. It hurt because when they selected me, I had performed at their level.”
Aaryamann revealed that he even trained in an academy environment linked to Raheem Sterling. “I was really good at the sport. But I would cry on the field because I couldn’t play the way I used to. My brain knew what to do, but my body was three steps behind. It was incredibly frustrating.”
Aaryamann is now a YouTuber and a musician.
