In the aftermath of a tumultuous phase that included public scrutiny and trolling, actor Rhea Chakraborty is making a fresh start. On Saturday, she made her podcast debut with Chapter 2, which she says mirrors her current mental state. And acting is not on her mind. 

Rhea was embroiled in a storm and subjected to intense media scrutiny following the death of her actor boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput in 2020. Now, she feels finally taken control of her narrative.

New start

Rhea was arrested in September 2020 in a drugs-related case in connection with Sushant’s death. She was granted bail in October 2020. Her first podcast was released on Saturday, which featured actor Sushmita Sen as the guest.

During the conversation, Rhea said, “Ok, people are confused about what I do for a living anymore. I am not acting in films, I do other things, I do motivational speaking and that’s how I earn my money.”

She shared that the name of her podcast is inspired by her life. She added, “Everybody knows my ‘chapter one’, or assumes that they know it. I did go through a lot of phases of feeling different emotions, being different versions of myself. Finally, I am feeling more me, but a newer version, like a rebirth. And I want to celebrate that with anyone who has a ‘chapter two’. I want to say that it is ok to have a chapter two, to start again, to move on in life. I want to celebrate change.”

Looking back

At one point, Rhea shared that people “hated” not her, but the “personality” she created for the public. She feels people had a problem with her image, which was created by her, and people interpreted in a different way.

Now, she jokes that she has a ‘superpower’ to polarise an entire room. She said that people think that she has done something, and some even think she indulges in “black magic”. Meanwhile, a section of people think that she is a strong girl who fought it all with courage.

About the case

Sushant was found dead in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14, 2020. While the Mumbai police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and started probe, his father in July 2020 lodged a complaint with Bihar police alleging Rhea and her family members had abetted his suicide.

Both Rhea and Showik were arrested in 2020 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drugs case related to Rajput. They were later granted bail. Earlier this year in March, a special court in Mumbai, designated under the NDPS Act, permitted Rhea Chakraborty to travel abroad with her family for a short holiday in Thailand.

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