Sushant Singh Rajput death: Why Rhea Chakraborty has Bollywood divided

First there was grief, then shock, then the conspiracy theories started to tumble in – was Sushant Singh Rajput really murdered by his girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty? Was she the one who gave him controlled substances and stole away his money? Or is she the person she claims to be – a woman torn apart, first by the sorrow that comes from the loss of a dear one and then by the accusations hurled by the rest of the world? While Bollywood volleys from side to side, the one indisputable fact remains: Chakraborty has divided the film fraternity. Here’s a look at what some members are saying.

‘Pink’ and ‘Thappad’ actress Taapsee Pannu was one of the few who stood up for Chakraborty – or at least the truth. She tweeted, “ I didn’t know Sushant on a personal level nor do I know Rhea but what I know is, it only takes to be a human to understand how wrong it is to overtake judiciary to convict someone who isn’t proven guilty. Trust the law of the land for your sanity and the deceased’s sanctity.’’.

Rajput’s ex-girlfriend and ‘Pavitra Rishta’ co-star, Ankita Lokhande, has refuted Chakraborty’s claim that the actor was claustrophobic on flights and took medicines for it. Lokhande shared a video of him excited and happy as he experimented with a new Boeing 737 Fixed Base Flight Simulator, which he reportedly purchased in 2018. She captioned the video, "Is this #claustrophobia? You always wanted to fly and you did it and we all are proud.”

‘Queen’ actor Kanagana Ranaut has been drumming up interest in the case with tall accusations of drugs and nepotism. In one such instance, after retweeting Lokhande’s response to Chakraborty saying Rajput experienced depression in 2013, she wrote: “Fact #Sushant had no history of mental illness before dating Rhea last year, this mental illness plot point was introduced in a goth hotel post genius plot twist of air sickness on a trip to Europe, who is the lame script writer?”

Actor Shekhar Suman, who has been raising questions about Rajput since his death on June 14, has countered several ‘revelations’ made by Chakraborty.

Popular filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma extended his support to Chakraborty and lashed out at media outlets targeting the actress. He feels Chakraborty is being portrayed as a witch or murderer in the ongoing case. The filmmaker also stated it was very insensitive to hunt somebody down without knowing something concrete about that person.

Actor Vidya Balan hailed actress Lakshmi Manchu who had earlier slammed media trials against Chakraborty. Balan wrote, “God bless you @LakshmiManchu for saying this out loud. It is so unfortunate that the tragic and untimely demise of a beloved young star Sushant Singh Rajput has become a media circus.” She further tweeted, “In the same breath, as a woman, my heart breaks at the vilification of Rhea Chakraborty. Isn’t it supposed to be ‘Innocent Until Proven Guilty’, or is it now ‘Guilty Until Proven Innocent’!? Let’s show some respect for the constitutional rights of a citizen and let the law take its course.”

Kubbra Sait, best known for her performance in the Netflix web-series ‘Sacred Games’, questioned media’s undivided attention centering on Rajput’s death. She asked why the media was not covering the suicides of a Marathi actor and a TV actor with as much gusto as they were Rajput’s.

Hina Khan, who was at the receiving end of much trolling for her recent comments on Rajput’s death case, said that she will always express her opinions without fearing trolls or bots. Talking about the ongoing media trial against the ‘Jalebi’ actress, Khan reportedly told a news portal that one should let the Central Bureau of Investigationinvestigate and come to a conclusion. She also felt that people might damage Chakraborty’s career forever with accusations.

Swara Bhasker, known for being vocal about social issues, replied to a Twitter post that spoke about the fact that Chakraborty had shared details about Sushant’s condition with his family. Bhasker wondered if the actress is being framed. Taking to her Twitter handle, the actress wrote, "Hey Voyeurs & shameless conscience-less anchors! Chat Proves #RheaChakraborty had informed the family about the mental health of SSR way back in 2019. Why did all the high decibel, screaming shouting anchors conveniently ignore this story? Does it seem like Rhea is being framed?"