Rhea Chakraborty has had one of the toughest phases of her life following the demise of actor and her then-boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput. The actress not only became a victim of societal scrutiny and media
trials but also had to spend nights in jail before being declared innocent.
Now, in a recent chat with Variety India, Rhea Chakraborty opened up about the 27 days she spent in prison. When asked about the hardest part of that experience, she shared, “The hardest part about being in jail is being in jail. Just knowing that you are no longer part of society. You are a number. You are not a person. You are deemed unfit to live in society. You are so bad or so pathetic that you are considered harmful to society. That is why you have been put away. It really crushes your ego completely. Your self-esteem, too. You question a lot of things. Being away from family and being so uncertain about your liberty and your freedom is really challenging.”
Rhea used to keep a diary with her, like a journal, where she would pen down everything. When asked if she continues to write, the actress revealed how 2020 affected her and how she hasn’t been able to write much since then. The actress said, “I have not been able to write much since 2020. I think I am scared to write. I do not know what will come out. Trauma does not leave you. You just find a way to coexist with it. The only reason to revisit that trauma would be to help someone else. I am grateful to people who shared their stories because they helped me. But I do not know if I trust society’s interpretation just yet.”
Rhea also shared that she noticed there were many innocent women in jail who didn’t even have the money for legal representation, and she hopes to get into a position where she can help them in some way. The actress shared, “In the last five years, I have tried to wear my own oxygen mask first. I was not in a position to help anyone else until I helped myself. But I hope I get to a place where I can fight for injustices in undertrial prisons in India and help people who cannot afford representation.”
Rhea Chakraborty’s life took a drastic turn after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020. The actress, who was dating Rajput at the time of his death, was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau in September 2020 after officials found chats with alleged drug peddlers on her WhatsApp. She was later granted bail but faced restrictions on her travel for a long time.
