I will fight, and I will win. My truth gives me strength

At the receiving end of a witchhunt, RHEA CHAKRABORTY attempts to clear her name and present her side of the story in an exclusive conversation with RAJDEEP SARDESAI, Consulting Editor, India Today TV, on aspects of her relationship with Sushant, their battle against his mental illness and his death

Q.You came to Bollywood with dreams of becoming a big star. Now you are being called a villain.

A. I cannot believe this is my life now. My dreams are long dead. I just want to take a deep breath and not have four or five [investigative] agencies after me. I want a normal day where I can have breakfast with my parents and none of my family members have an anxiety attack. But I will fight.

Q. Tell us about your relationship with Sushant.

A. We had been friends for long. We were introduced in 2013 at the gym in Yash Raj Studios. My first film had just released and Sushant had joined YRF (Yash Raj Films) as a new talent after Kai Po Che! Occasionally, we’d run into each other at award shows. Even if we met once a year, we’d discuss all our problems. I liked him, found him different from the others. On April 13, 2019, we met at [publicist] Rohini Iyer’s party. That’s where our relationship started. He said he had fallen for me on day one itself. How did I know I’d pay such a hefty price for loving him?

Q. What attracted you to him?

A. He was the most honest human being I’ve ever met. I became myself around him. The affection with which he saw me elevated my esteem. Our friendship was the basis of our relationship, the trust, honesty, understanding that the other person gives you, irrespective of your lows and highs.

Q. Why did you leave Sushant on June 8?

A. Sushant’s depression kicked in again during the lockdown. He had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. There were phases where he’d be up and down on a frequent basis, sometimes daily. I was scared and contacted Dr Kersi Chavda on June 3, informing him that Sushant is going into depression again and has paranoia too. Sushant and he spoke. Dr Chavda agreed that he needed medication.

Sushant had been slightly aloof with me since June 1. He kept saying I should go home. I too had anxiety attacks in May and June. He’d look at me and say—first get better yourself and then help me move. On June 8, I had [planned] a therapy session with Dr Susan Walker at his place. But Sushant asked me to go home and not do it at his place. He said his sister Meetu was coming over. All of June he had been speaking to his family about his plans to shift to Coorg and asking if somebody could come and help him shift. There was no response [from them]. I laid down only one condition, which was that Meetu would have to be there and only then would I leave. When a person is battling a mental health problem, it’s important that the family is by his side. My relationship with his family was anyway strained right from the start. There were issues. They never liked me, which is more than apparent now.

Q. But your WhatsApp messages to Mahesh Bhatt insinuate that you had decided to leave Sushant.

A. I spoke to Mahesh Bhatt because he is a father figure to me. I called to tell him I don’t have the strength anymore. ‘He (Sushant) has removed me [from his house], what do I do?’ I asked. He asked me to think about my father and be strong for him. This conversation between us was also misconstrued. Can’t I even consult anyone if I am broken? Is that a crime too?

Q. What happened in Europe? When did you learn about Sushant’s mental health issues?

A. When we landed in Paris, he didn’t leave his room for three days. I found it strange because he had been excited to go out on the streets and show his fun side. In Switzerland, he was happy and his energy was good. But in Italy, we were staying at a Gothic hotel, Palazzo Magnani Feroni. Our room had a dome ceiling, which had some dark paintings. Sushant couldn’t sleep that night. He said there’s something here. We all get worried when someone suggests the place is haunted and they are seeing things. But he wouldn’t agree to leave the hotel either. His condition deteriorated, so we had to cut short the trip and bring him back.

Q. It is being alleged that you and your family were living off Sushant.

A. I did have a problem with how much he was spending. He lived like a star, a king. Before we started dating, he spent Rs 70 lakh on a Thailand trip where he hired a private jet to take his friends along. I was not living off his money. We were living like a couple.

Q. You and your brother Showik are directors in two of his companies. There are allegations that these companies have benami accounts in the name of your brother. That you siphoned money from them.

A. Where’s the proof? Find those accounts. Not a single penny has been transacted. The other company is an NGO, Front India for World Foundation, through which Sushant wanted to provide free education for children. Sushant is a 99 per cent stakeholder in it and Showik was listed as a

Where’s the proof that I siphoned off money? Find those accounts. There have been zero transactions in the two companies I and my brother are associated with”

namesake—a 1 per cent holder. There have been zero transactions in the two companies my brother and I are associated with.

Q. Sushant’s father alleges you took Rs 15 crore from his son through transfers to multiple accounts.

A. Where is the Rs 15 crore I am accused of siphoning off? It’s not in my account. I am cooperating with all the investigative agencies. Sushant’s bank statements have been leaked and everyone knows there wasn’t Rs 15 crore in his account. How does his father know he had that much money?

Q. Then why has Sushant’s family made such strong allegations that you didn’t give them access to him in November, that he would not reply to WhatsApp messages, and that you changed his staff and were controlling his life?

A. That’s what they say, but it’s not the truth. On June 8, he was with his sister Meetu, whom I wanted there in the first place. In February, he met his sister and brother-in-law at a Bandra café and had a good time. So where does this isolation come in? On January 20, he went by road to Chandigarh [to meet his sister]. He returned within a few days itself. Why didn’t they stop him? He didn’t want to stay with you. Maybe he didn’t like you. I didn’t know he was coming back so soon.

Q. IPS officer O.P. Singh (husband of Sushant’s sister Neetu) claims that he had complained to the Mumbai Police in February that Sushant’s life was under threat because he was staying with you.

A. He is a uniformed officer and knows protocol. If he was so worried about him, then why was he eating with Sushant at a café in February and not filing a written complaint? Somebody would have believed him. Instead, his words were, ‘Aap Rhea ko pakad lijiye aur usko maariye.’

Q. If you loved Sushant so much, why didn’t you reach out to his family?

A. I tried. When they (his sisters) came to meet him, I touched the feet of the eldest sister (Neetu) and hugged Priyanka (despite their differences). Their brother’s mental health was the most important thing. He was crying and had been calling them for two months. Why didn’t they come earlier?

I wanted his family to get involved, help him mentally. But they would come and leave in a day.

In January, he went to Chandigarh [to meet his sisters]. He returned within days. Why didn’t they stop him? He didn’t want to stay with you. Maybe he didn’t like you...”

Q. What about his father?

A. In Sushant’s own words, his relations with his father haven’t been good since childhood. His father left his mother when Sushant was very young. Sushant was very close to his mother. His father’s actions had hurt him; any child would feel aggrieved for his mother. Sushant had not met his father for five years when I came into his life in 2019.

Q. Did his depression drive you away from him?

A. Actually, it brought us closer. When you become someone’s caretaker, you are like a nurse or mother…you forgive every mistake of theirs and start loving them unconditionally. You get to know them well, they too share their true feelings with you. When someone shares their fears with you, it really changes the relationship. Sushant did that with me and I did that with him. It is not like he was depressed 24 hours a day, just some days used to be bad.

Q. There are accusations that you controlled Sushant’s life, changed his staff. Is it true?

A. This is a baseless allegation. When I first came to Sushant’s house, Siddharth Pithani was already staying there. The house manager, Miranda, was hired by Priyanka. He, too was there before me. The cook Keshav, cleaner Neeraj, Dipesh, they were already there. I didn’t know them. Sushant introduced them to me.

Q. They say you exploited Sushant, an up and coming star, for your own professional and your family’s benefit.

A. You can ask Rumi Jaffrey about this. Sushant used to come to meet me on the set when I was shooting for Chehre in June and July 2019. He met Rumi there. They used to work with Nadira Babbar’s theatre group and were acquainted with each other. He told Rumi that he wanted to do a play, Laila Majnu, with me. Annu Kapoor would direct the play and Rumi would write it. Sushant also wanted Rumi to write a film for him with me as his coactor.

Q. Is this the film for which Sushant got a signing amount of Rs 15 crore?

A. Vashu Bhagnani had offered him Rs 15 crore for the film. Sushant was happy with that. It happened in February when his sister and brotherinlaw came to meet him. He told them the good news and mentioned the Rs 15 crore in conversation. I guess this is the Rs 15 crore that is being bandied about.

Q. Are you saying Rs 15 crore was not credited to the bank account?

A. Absolutely. No paper was signed. It was a verbal agree

I regret that we have lost the most beautiful boy that I have ever seen. And I regret the joke that has been made of a human life, of a human death. At least, respect him”

ment. The contract got postponed because of the lockdown. There was no money transaction.

Q. Do you have any connection with drug peddlers?

A. This was the only allegation left…I am being crucified. I say shoot my entire family. Or we will commit suicide. Then who will be responsible? I deny all these allegations. They are absolutely baseless.

Q. The housekeeper Miranda (in a WhatsApp message to Rhea) said the drugs stock was over. Who took the drugs? You or Sushant?

A. It is unfortunate that I have to say this after someone’s death. Yes, Sushant used to smoke marijuana quite regularly. Even before meeting me. He had started the habit before the shooting of Kedarnath. In fact, this is the only area where I tried to control him. But he was a grown man and nobody could stop him. Sushant always did exactly what he wanted to.

Q. Did Sushant contact you between June 8 and 14?

A. I received my last message from Sushant on June 9, saying ‘How are you, my bebu?’ I was sad because he knew I was not well. He messaged me, but he did not call. So I blocked him on June 9 because I thought he did not want me anymore. I didn’t want to come between him and his sister. My parents were unaware about this. He was in our family group. He was still in touch with my brother. He messaged him on June 10 asking how I was. He did not mention that he needed me. If he had said this, I would have gone back to him.

Q. You went to the mortuary where Sushant’s body was kept. There you said: “I am sorry, babu.” Is this correct?

A. What else are you supposed to say to someone who has lost his life? I am sorry you lost your life. And today I am sorry that your death has been made a joke of. I am sorry your last memories are not going to be of your good work, your intelligence or your charity. This is all misconstrued. What can I say?

Q. Do you still regret how things have turned out?

A. I regret that he is not here. I regret that we have lost the most beautiful boy that I have ever seen. And I regret the joke that has been made of a human life, of a human death. At least, respect him.

Q. It is being said that Sushant was a victim of nepotism. That people promote their own in Bollywood. Did he ever tell you that he was a victim of the industry?

A. Sushant was very upset about not being nominated for film awards, especially since he’d done successful and different movies like Sonchiriya and Chhichhore , one artistically amazing and the other a superhit. Though his films were there, the technicians were there (nominated), Sushant’s name was nowhere. And he was upset about it.

Q. Are you ready for the CBI’s questions… they are not the Mumbai Police.

A. Yes. I will tell them what I have told the Mumbai Police and the ED. Because I am telling the truth. You are not scared when you tell the truth. In fact, had I not been telling the truth, I may not have been alive today considering the kind of pressure I have been under. My truth gives me strength.

Q. Have you thought about committing suicide?

A. Yes. Perhaps my entire family should commit suicide or someone can just shoot us. We feel stifled and humiliated. We are middleclass people. There is nothing for us without respect. Today, I am projected as a drug dealer; yesterday, I was a murderer . This is endless and baseless.

Q. But you are going to fight...

A. I am going to fight and I am going to win. And I want this to be a win not just for me but for all women who have been vilified, wronged and called names just because they loved someone and were living with them. ■

This was the only allegation left (drug peddling)…I am being crucified. I say shoot my entire family. Or we will commit suicide. Then who will be responsible?”