Rhea Chakraborty Interview: Have never spoken to a dealer or taken drugs, she said
Rhea Chakraborty, who is at the centre of the Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, told her version of the story in an interview with NDTV. She described as "pathetic" Sushant's father's allegation that she poisoned him. She also said that she didn't believe that the actor could have died by suicide. On allegations of drug use, Ms Chakraborty claimed it was Sushant Singh Rajput who smoked marijuana and she tried to help him control the habit.
Top Quotes of Rhea Chakraborty's Interview:
- It is extremely hurtful from someone (Sushant's father) going through a loss this big. I loved his son, looked after him. At least have humanity. If not for me, for him.
- It is really difficult. I and my entire family is going through scrutiny. There's a mob outside my gate. My dad, the watchmen, people in the building. What are you doing to my family? Why can't you wait for results to come? We have faith in the system. That is why we are alive, else would have committed suicide. My father served in the army for 25 years.
- I have never spoken to a dealer or taken drugs in my life. I am open to a blood test. Anything I say will be misconstrued. The Pandora's box has been opened by his family. I wanted his memory to be pristine. He smoked marijuana and I tried to control him, to stop. My family's mental health is being destroyed.
- They (allegations) are completely baseless. Never took a single rupee. I am being probed by the Enforcement Directorate. His bank statements are in public domain. We had a company where we were equal partner.
- The Mumbai Police were extremely harsh, the Enforcement Directorate was harsh and so will be the CBI. I want the truth to come out but not by targeting me. As much as I want to know the truth, why is no one talking about his sister Neetu who was with him that week? If he was unwell, why did she leave?
- My WhatsApp chats are out there. They were only given to agencies. My friends' numbers are being flashed on TV. That's why I decided to speak up. The one-sided narrative is destroying my family. The Enforcement Directorate wants to know the financial details. I am willing to cooperate with everyone. All I ask for is a fair trial. You are breaking down a simple, innocent, middle-class family.
- I still cannot believe it (that he died by suicide). He was absolutely the best guy and beautiful person I have ever met. He wanted to do charity. He was the greatest boyfriend ever. He looked after me. He always advised me. I was proud of him, of how much he has achieved coming from a small town. We bonded over this. Since I am also an outsider and have grown up all across India. Our relationship was like a fairy tale. Yes, we had problems.
- Showik (brother) and Sushant shared a lot of common interests. He was like an elder brother to Showik. If Sushant was interested about something, he would tell my brother to read about them. When Sushant wanted to launch the AI company, he was giving us assignments. We started it as equal partners. None of the projects came to life, unfortunately. There was no agenda. He had 150 dreams. One was to provide free education to children and start an AI company.
- Honestly, even in January 2020, he had asked me to leave. The explanation was that he was moving to Pawna. Then he asked me to come back and I did. In June, he was planning to move to Coorg. This time as well I thought he would call me back. He messaged but did not ask me to come back. I was upset. So I blocked him. I was completely broken. No message of wanting me back. It was rare. He would always want me back. His sister was there. I thought that they will be comfortable without me. I felt may be he did not want me.
- I feel the MeToo allegations are what started the pressure. He believed someone was behind it. He used to refer to the people as 'them'. I don't know who they are. He believed someone was behind Sanjana Sanghi.
- It is a difficult industry. The ups are up and the downs are really low. Certain things affected him and his mental health. One of them was the Me Too allegations that were later cleared up. He is not that kind of a guy. He was the most respectful person. His co-star Sanjana Sanghvi was not clearing it up. He thought it was part of a larger nexus by Rohini Iyer - his 'friend'. I have told this to the police and Enforcement Directorate.
- There were top-notch doctors. They gave him prescriptions. He stopped taking them in January. When Cursee sent prescription later, he didn't take. If I was controlling him, why would I let him stop taking the medicines? Poison him? It is the most pathetic allegation. I really want to know and want to know if there was foul play. I want justice for Sushant. I want to know what transpired in that last one week.
- People judge depression so poorly that people find it difficult to communicate. Person going through it feels misunderstood. In Sushant's case, I don't understand why he would do this. His condition had worsened in the lockdown. Contrary to what people think, people who are depressed can laugh.
- He was in touch with his family all through the Europe trip. He got in touch with father from Italy and Vienna. I had told them in November about medications and doctors. But they left in the middle of the night. We had a troubled relation when his sister tried to grope me in the middle of the night. I wanted him to be with his family because it was a big issue.