Rhea Chakraborty described Sushant Singh Rajput as a "beautiful boy who wanted to change the world"
Rhea Chakraborty, investigated by multiple agencies in the investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput's death, said on Thursday that she felt "broken" and her family was going through "unbearable mental torture" over what she called baseless allegations.
Reacting to Sushant Singh Rajput's father accusing her of murder, she said: "It is extremely hurtful that someone going through a loss doesn't understand what this could be doing to me. I loved his son, is there no humanity? I looked after his son. At least have the humanity, respect his love for me, even if you don't like me as his girlfriend."
The "witch-hunt", she said in an exclusive interview to NDTV, was destroying a "simple, innocent, middle-class family."
There are two sides to a story, she said. "You are hearing one side for months. I have no motive to do something to the guy I loved and find difficult to live without. Please see logic."
Sushant Singh Rajput, a 34-year-old Bollywood star, was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14. The death left thousands of his fans in shock. Over the past two months, allegations, speculation and conspiracy theories have inspired social media campaigns for "justice". Rhea Chakraborty, who dated the actor in his last few months, has been accused by his family of living off him, mentally harassing him and driving him to his death. This morning, amid fresh allegations linked to drugs, Sushant Singh Rajput's father accused her of "poisoning" his son.
Rhea Chakraborty described Sushant Singh Rajput as a "beautiful boy who wanted to change the world" and said even now, going through what she was, she did not regret having met him.
"We had a relationship like the movies, a fairytale," she said, sharing that she found it difficult to live without him.
"He had 150 dreams... one of them was to create artificial intelligence, to do something for children."
On the relationship ending on a sour note, with the actor asking her to leave on June 8, she said: "He asked me to leave in January and called me back the next day. I thought this time too, it would be the same. I thought he would call me back. But he didn't. He did not say anything about wanting me back."
The CBI and Enforcement Directorate are investigating the case. The Narcotics Control Bureau has also stepped in, over allegations of drug dealing. A minister talked about the possibility of a probe by the anti-terror National Investigation Agency (NIA).
"What are you doing to this family? We are being grilled, we are being law-abiding citizens. My mother is on the verge of a mental breakdown. My father, who served the country, is being pushed around, mentally and physically pushed around. We have faith in the legal system... That's why we are alive or we would have committed suicide, too. And all we did is love a boy."
She went on: "I am shocked. Tomorrow if something happens to us because of the media pressure... I am part of three investigations, all I have left is my spirit. That is also being crushed."
On whether she feared arrest, she said: "I don't think I am going to be arrested tomorrow. I have done nothing to be arrested."
On the allegations of drugs, based on WhatsApp chats retrieved from her phone, Rhea Chakraborty said Sushant Singh Rajput used marijuana and that was the only part of his life she tried to control.
"I have never taken drugs in my life and I don't know any drug dealer. It is unfortunate we have to speak about it but the Pandora's Box was opened by his family. I wanted his memory to be pristine and beautiful as he was a beautiful boy. He used to smoke marijuana. That was the only aspect of his life that I was trying to control."
Rhea Chakraborty also hit out at allegations by people like actors Kangana Ranaut and Ankita Lokhande (Sushant Singh Rajput's ex-girlfriend).
"Ankita Lokhande was not a part of his life. Do people not see through her lies? Even with Ankita, she did love him at some time, she should have reached out. What if this was happening to you? Would you still be a part of the witch-hunt?"