Rhea Chakraborty Discusses Post-Jail Challenges and New Ventures

Indian actress Rhea Chakraborty's life took a significant turn in 2020 following the death of her former boyfriend, Sushant Singh Rajput. Following his passing, she faced numerous allegations from his family and was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau in connection with an alleged drug case. Her brother, Showik Chakraborty, was also implicated and arrested in relation to the same case. In a recent interaction with filmmaker Farah Khan on her vlog, Rhea spoke candidly about the difficulties she and her brother faced after their release from custody, stating, "Things have improved with such difficulty; I’m afraid." Rhea revealed that they started their apparel business, Chapter 2, as a response to the challenges they encountered. She explained, "Showik got 97% in the Common Admission Test, and shortly thereafter we faced significant setbacks, including his arrest." Originally admitted to a prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Showik did not enrol following their legal troubles. Rhea noted the absence of job opportunities for both of them, stating that they were effectively "cancelled by society" and consequently had no film or corporate job offers. The actress further elaborated on the hard times they experienced post-release, emphasizing that they were left without work and feeling isolated. Sushant Singh Rajput was discovered deceased in his Mumbai residence in June 2020 at the age of 34. At the time, Rhea and Showik were living with him but moved out shortly before his death after the lifting of Covid-19 lockdowns. Following their release from custody, both siblings managed to have the charges against them dropped but had already spent time in jail during the investigations. Rhea has since made a return to the entertainment industry, taking on the role of a judge on the reality show MTV Roadies, along with launching her own podcast and fashion brand. Showik remains her partner in their business venture. Currently, Rhea is also participating in the second season of the reality show The Traitors, which is hosted by Karan Johar. New episodes of the show are available on Amazon Prime Video every Thursday.