Copyright gqindia
As with most Indians, my acquaintance with Rhea Chakraborty began in 2020, when she became the subject of a frenetic witch-hunt that became a national obsession. In the period that followed the death of her former partner, the actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Chakraborty spent nearly a month in jail, and it would be five years before she would be allowed to close that chapter—which she finally did with the return of her seized passport this October. In sharp contrast to that frenzy, the person I met at the GQ Heroes summit is poised, calm and collected. Someone who speaks openly about the trauma that she and her family (her parents and brother) have had to deal with over the past years. “We share a deep bond that goes beyond words and actions. We’ve trauma-bonded now and are inseparable. But even before that, we were four best friends living under a roof. I feel so much guilt about putting my family through this. I dated someone, and they had to deal with the aftermath.” Everything she does now is to make life better for her family, she adds. Her father, Lieutenant Colonel Indrajit Chakraborty, was a doctor with the Indian Army and her mother was a journalist. She had a sporty childhood, played basketball for Haryana and moved across the country with her family, which included attending 14 schools. She got her professional start as a model and an MTV VJ. She followed this up with a debut in Telugu cinema (Tuneega Tuneega), before moving to Mumbai to make it in Bollywood. In a full-circle moment, over the last two years, she’s returned to her MTV roots, participating in and winning the hugely popular show Roadies. As we speak in front of a live select audience, the 33-year-old is candid about her experiences, including her time in jail. Through all the dark moments—of which there were many—she tells me that she would rather think of the bright spots. Support often came from unexpected sources: like on the day when she was escorted to prison, she tells me how a female police officer told her that if her conviction in herself and her truth was strong, she should walk with her head held high. Chakraborty was placed in solitary confinement, an experience that can break even the strongest of hearts and resolve. “There were days when I worried if the world outside had forgotten about me, and I wondered when I would get out. On day 14, I requested a lovely lady jailer to let me go to the library to get something to read. I asked the universe, god and any spiritual force that I believed in to give me an answer, to show me something, give me some direction. When I entered the library, a book fell on my head; it was Paramahansa Yoganandaji’s book. The first page of the book reads: ‘We’re all actors in god’s play, so don’t take it personally.’ I realised I was taking my situation personally—but it wasn’t about me. It’s not about you; you’re just a speck in this infinite universe.” It was her belief in herself and her own truth that kept her going, but it took years of therapy before she had a breakthrough. Chakraborty continues to deal with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and now makes it a point to discuss mental health in as many forums as she can, particularly for men. “As women, we have friends that we can talk freely to. Men struggle with that, and it manifests in so many different ways.” But Chakraborty is not interested in your sympathy. “You can choose to be a victim or a survivor. A lot of people are drawn to the victim complex because it’s very seductive. I chose not to be a victim, no matter what happens in life… It’s a -mindset. Secondly, it’s the relationship with yourself and the sound of your inner voice that’s most important; what others say doesn’t matter.” Learning to trust again has also been a challenge, one that she is slowly overcoming. The conversations she has on her podcast, called Chapter 2 (her clothing label bears the same name), are one way of dealing with it. “After everything that happened to me, I didn’t trust going on anyone else’s media channel or podcast. So I decided to start my own. I wanted to create a safe space for people.” Guests on her podcast have included actor Aamir Khan and K-pop star Jackson Wang. Both the podcast and her label are a path to reclaiming her narrative, which Chakraborty is doing with candour and humour, especially when it comes to the demise of her acting career. It’s no big loss, she admits, adding that perhaps the combined earnings of her movies have not exceeded ₹100 crore. Her energy these days is focused on building the clothing business she started with her brother, Showik, whose promising career also became collateral damage along the way. It might have been serendipity that on her way to the Narcotics Control Bureau’s offices, she was photographed wearing a T-shirt that said ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, let’s crush the patriarchy, me and you.’ That picture went viral, inspiring a range of T-shirts produced by Chapter 2. To date, the label has sold more than 10,000 T-shirts, which have been spotted on stars like Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. She and her brother recently opened a Chapter 2 Drip store in Bandra, one of Mumbai’s most upscale neighbourhoods. Chakraborty is now comfortable accepting that what happened to her was the worst thing that could’ve possibly happened, but, in retrospect, is perhaps also the best thing that could’ve happened to her. In the abyss of darkness, she found the light and has let that guide her to her new normal—one that is focused on her personal, mental and financial wellbeing. Rhea Chakraborty has survived a personal crisis that played out on the most public stage. Not only did she survive, but she’s now ready to turn the page with courage and conviction. She has moved on, and there will be no stopping her now. Head of Editorial Content: Che Kurrien Hair & Make-up: Chriselle Baptista Art Director: Mihir Shah Entertainment Director: Megha Mehta Senior Entertainment Editor: Rebecca Gonsalves Visuals Editor: Shubhra Shukla Visuals Consultant: Deepraj Surve Fashion Assistants: Prerana Vasappanavara, Deepika Sharma Hair & Make-up Assistants: Akanksha Singh, Dinkle Gosrani
