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After years of relentless scrutiny following Sushant Singh Rajput’s death and a long CBI investigation that turned her life upside down, actress Rhea Chakraborty says her faith helped her survive. The actor, who spent time in jail and faced intense public backlash, reveals that it was the Hanuman Chalisa that gave her strength and peace when everything else fell apart. Rhea Chakraborty’s life changed forever in 2020. Once known for her easy charm and TV beginnings, she became the centre of one of India’s most publicised investigations after the death of her ex-boyfriend, Sushant Singh Rajput. Years later, with the CBI giving her a clean chit in the case, Rhea is finally opening up about the mental and emotional storm she endured — and the one thing that kept her going. “I started reading it in 2020 and now everyday at least once or twice a day I recite Hanuman Chalisa at least seven times in a flow, and that is kind of like a meditation,” she shared in a chat with Hindustan Times. The actor admitted that faith became her lifeline during her toughest days. “I used to get up in the morning and before going to bed at night, say what I am thankful for, and sometimes it didn’t even feel like there was anything to be thankful for. But I used to be like I am walking, my hands and legs are functional, my eyes are functional, so thank you for that.” Rhea, who has also spoken about suffering from PTSD, said that her public ordeal unexpectedly made others open up to her. “What I went through was so public that a lot of people automatically felt comfortable sharing their problems with me because they believed that I understood mental health issues. Among my own friends, a few girls confessed to me regarding their husbands or family members after my incident, and I have known them for about 10 years,” she said. Her experience also inspired her to start a podcast to encourage conversations around mental health. Addressing the stigma around mental health, she said, “There is so much stigma that they didn’t even tell me. They were so scared that they finally opened up to me after they realised that I have gone through something bad too.
