'Slandered' Rhea questions Sushant's family; mentions mother's 'illness,' his drug-addiction
What's the story
Actor Rhea Chakraborty, who is at the center of the most sensational and followed news story in India currently — the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, revealed her side of the story on Thursday, in a series of TV interviews, but unwittingly ended up commenting disparaging things about him.
With her interviews taking attention, here's looking at her statements about Sushant, his family, and more.
Context
The demise of young star bared open Bollywood's dark side
On June 14, Sushant, all about 34 years of age, was found dead at his Mumbai home, sparking shock across India and birthing theories about the "ostracizing" behavior in Bollywood. After enormous public pressure, Mumbai Police launched a probe into his death, summoning well-known directors and producers.
Weeks later, Sushant's family filed an FIR against Rhea, blaming her for their son's demise.
Aftermath
Rhea, the prime accused, chose to speak up yesterday
The serious allegations against Rhea, pertaining to fraud, cheating, and abetment to suicide, led to another campaign that ended with the Supreme Court handing over the case's reins to CBI last week.
Meanwhile, Rhea, who lived with Sushant, received hate on social media, from news anchors, and decided to address the attacks through the same medium.
Her interviews, however, garnered little support for her.
Details
Rhea said she has been vilified, false allegations leveled
In her first interaction, Rhea chose to speak to India Today's Rajdeep Sardesai, where she said the slander against her prompted suicidal thoughts. She said a witch-hunt has been launched, and she wasn't allowed time to grieve after losing the man she loved.
However, shockingly, in a bid to clear her name, Rhea mentioned about Sushant's "drug habits" and familial ties.
Drugs
Months after his demise, Rhea disclosed Sushant's "vices," drug addiction
Rhea spoke about Sushant's drug addiction while, ironically, accepting that he could no longer defend himself.
"Yes, he smoked up marijuana. He used to do it before he met me. Even during the time of Kedarnath, he used to smoke up," she said, adding that she tried to "stop him" but to no avail.
"If he wanted to smoke up, he would," Rhea asserted.
Claim
According to Rhea, Sushant wasn't close to his father
Rhea claimed that Sushant didn't share cordial relations with his father, Mr. KK Singh. "Before I met him, Sushant hadn't spoken to his father for 5 years. His relations with his father were always strained," she said.
However, Singh has repeatedly claimed Rhea didn't allow Sushant to talk to him and also released WhatsApp messages to show he wanted to know about his son's well-being.
Do you know?
Just last year, Sushant's happy pictures with father emerged
While Rhea claimed Sushant and Singh weren't close, the deceased actor's last year's trip to Bihar says otherwise. Along with his father and few relatives, Sushant visited his birthplace in Purnia district. Images that emerged on social media sang tunes about Sushant's bond with Singh.
Mother
Sushant's father left his mother, that affected him: Rhea
Not stopping at Sushant's mental illness, Rhea also commented on his deceased mother's.
She claimed Singh left Sushant's mother, Usha Singh, and that had a deep impact on a young Sushant.
She also said his mother suffered from "something similar," and that one of the biggest reasons for him to be "slipping into depression" was the fact that his mother was abandoned.
Questions
Why doesn't Sushant's sister tell what happened, asked Rhea
After leaving Sushant's home on June 8, Rhea said, she had no idea what happened to him, adding that she also wished to know if he ended his life or was killed.
"His sister was with him between June 8 and June 13, why won't she come forward and say what exactly happened?" she asked, reminding that she demanded a CBI probe initially.
Family
Rhea tried ironing out differences between Sushant and his family
Rhea also said that she left Sushant's home on June 8 after he insisted. She blamed his sister, Meetu, who lived in Goregaon for leaving the actor, despite knowing he wasn't keeping well.
"Things were not well between him and his family. I wanted him to get back together with his family, but every time they came together, they would separate again," she claimed.
Statement
Rhea claimed innocence, said will continue fighting against world
Rhea also denied claims that her family was unaware of Sushant's mental illness; said they never liked her much, and also stated that she would aid in CBI investigation.
"I am just an innocent girl who loved an innocent boy," Rhea said, adding that she is ready to fight for herself.
"Justice for Rhea is as important as Justice for Sushant," she said.
Conclusion
Did the journalist ignore ethics to score TRPs? Seems so!
While it's understandable Rhea gave the interview, it's hard to ignore the ill things she commented on Sushant — from his drug addiction to mental illness, and familial ties — when he can no longer clarify for himself.
Meanwhile, Sardesai allowed her to indulge in character assassination.
The interview must have been watched by millions but the "known journalist" took TV news discourse to another low to win the TRP race. Unfortunately, this is not the first time TV anchors did so and it won't be the last.
Twitter Post
The dead are not respected by TV anchors anymore
#Exclusive | NEVER SEEN BEFORE PICTURES OF SUSHANT’s BODY: Navika Kumar accesses 2 pictures of Sushant’s body taken by his sister.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) August 27, 2020
CONTRADICTION 1: The ‘right’ angle buried. | @thenewshour | #SSRTrueStory
DISCLAIMER: Viewer discretion advised pic.twitter.com/3EfSuhkUZV