Rhea Chakraborty on Sushant Singh Rajput Case: ‘Bohot Der Tak Shaq Mein Rahi Hoon’

Rhea Chakraborty opened up about what it was like to be under siege for years since actor Sushant Singh Rajput died in 2020. Rhea spoke on The Traitors Season 2 about being under investigation and suspected in relation to the case.

Rhea was asked by host Karan Johar whether she would prefer to be “Innocent” or a “Traitor” in the reality show. Her answer seemed to come from her own years under public suspicion.

Rhea said: “I just want to be innocent.” She added that she had received a clean chit earlier this year and that people finally came to know she was innocent. She then noted that she had been under suspicion for a long time and no longer enjoyed it.

Rhea's comments come months after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a closure report in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. The development was a relief to Rhea who had faced a lot of public pressure since Sushant’s death.

The actor died in June 2020 and the media picked up on it. Rhea, Sushant's former girlfriend, was one of the central figures in the public debate about the case. She and her brother Showik Chakraborty were also arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau for drug-related allegations linked to the bigger investigation.

As Rhea has reflected on that time, she has spoken about how the emotional impact of the experience, of jail, and how public backlash she experienced was an emotional one.

Her last comments on The Traitors were especially striking because the show’s central idea is trust, suspicion and accusations. Rhea’s own experience of being publicly questioned for years gave her response a more emotional context.

The actress’s appearance on the Prime Video reality show is the first step in her return to the public sphere. After mostly going off the entertainment scene in the midst of all of this, Rhea has begun to return to work and public events.

She also highlights the difference between public perception and legal findings. But Rhea faced years of speculation and accusations following Sushant’s death, and the CBI closure has changed everything about the legal status of the allegations.

At Rhea's perspective, the years that have followed since 2020 have been closely followed and these recent comments show that the experience of being under suspicion for so long still shapes her perception of trust and public judgment.

The Traitors Season 2 brings together celebrities in a game based on deception and suspicion so Rhea’s personal history is very compelling to viewers.