‘I kind of like the name chudail’: Rhea Chakraborty recalls time after Sushant Singh Rajput's death

Recounting her experience of being labelled a 'chudail' or 'witch' following accusations of abetting her partner, the film star Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide by his family, actor Rhea Chakraborty stated on Thursday that any woman who challenges patriarchy is often subjected to such derogatory names.

Chakraborty was addressing the audience during the session titled 'Rising from the Ashes and Finding Herself' on the second day of the India Today Conclave Mumbai 2023. When asked about the impact of being called a witch, the 31-year-old responded, “I kind of like the name chudail.” She continued, "It's fascinating when you consider the historical context of the word. A witch, in the past, was a woman who resisted conformity to a patriarchal society and held opinions contrary to the prevailing male-dominated norms. Perhaps I fit that description, perhaps I am a 'chudail.' Maybe I possess some mystical abilities." The actor, who faced relentless trolling and media scrutiny after Rajput's untimely demise, described it as a "witch-hunt."

Rajput, at the age of 34, was discovered hanging in his Bandra apartment on June 14, 2020. Following allegations of abetting suicide made by Rajput's parents, an investigation into Chakraborty's alleged involvement in drug procurement based on her WhatsApp conversations also began. In connection to the case, Chakraborty was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in September 2020 and subsequently spent nearly six weeks in Byculla jail. She is currently out on bail, and the matter is awaiting adjudication in the Bombay High Court.

"Regrettably, even today, when a successful man's career takes a downturn after marriage, people tend to attribute it to his partner. It's almost as if the man had no identity prior to the woman's arrival," Chakraborty remarked. "In India, men often don't listen to their wives or girlfriends, and if they did, society would be much better off. It's a deeply entrenched patriarchal society, and many of the accusations against me were rooted in patriarchal beliefs: 'She did this, and since she came into his life, everything changed,'" she further commented.

For the actor, currently serving as a gang leader on the reality show "MTV Roadies" season 19, her time in prison proved to be a "humbling experience."

"Jail is undeniably challenging. It's intriguing because you're isolated from society, no longer a part of it. You find yourself in this place because society deems you unfit for reasons best known to them. You cease to be a person; you become a mere number, following orders," she revealed. "You are granted a few moments of happiness in life; seize them. That's the lesson I learned from jail. I'm here to seize those moments," she added.

Chakraborty emphasised that "Innocent until proven guilty" should be the guiding principle of India's legal system. She stated, "Innocent until not proven guilty, not guilty until proven innocent. I believe that all the women in that jail have faced similar situations, and they are innocent, just like me. I learned from them, some of whom have been incarcerated for years. Most of them don't have access to lawyers or family support like I do," she empathetically expressed.

Also Read Rhea Chakraborty is rumoured to be dating Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath, says report