So, Rhea Chakraborty refused to get roasted. What's more, she actually wants to be toasted. She is innocent of any wrong doing, okay? And she is sick of being 'crucified'. For what? She, who is 'co-operating' with all the agencies, and is willing to undergo a narco test - what has she to hide? 15 crores, did you say? Well...where are those 15 crores? Find them! For nearly two hours on a humid Thursday night, a 28-year-old woman nobody had really heard of till her 34-year-old high-profile boyfriend died, made minced meat of seasoned star anchors. At the end of the tepid grilling, it was the anchors who looked like they needed whichever drops Rhea was allegedly adding to Sushant Singh Rajput's tea to keep him calm. The only ones clearly suffering from panic/anxiety attacks on prime time shows that night were these mighty people, left to gesticulate wildly, blubber, stammer and refer to notes, while Rhea Chakraborty, the prime accused in a sensational case, remained the coolest customer on the planet.
Several jaws must have dropped at Rhea's steely responses to every question, complete with dates, time lines, 'facts' and figures. It was a perfectly-scripted, glitch-free performance. We stupidly forgot all about the Covid crisis, JEE and NEET debates or Prashant Bhushan. Imagine! We hung on to every word being uttered by this feisty boss-lady, who was right on top of the narrative she was spinning. Rhea should immediately fire her pricey legal team and argue her own case in court after this dress rehearsal.
At the moment, she seems to have a one-point agenda: to convert a trending hashtag (#JusticeForSushantSinghRajput) into her own campaign (#JusticeForRheaChakraborty). Rhea played every card in the book, and went from vamp to victim in ten easy lessons. She discarded the sati-savitri, head-covered, white salwar kameez, grieving girlfriend look for a more contemporary and casual girl-next-door appearance. Her meticulous recreation of any and every turning point of the tragedy, complete with dates and an assurance that she can produce proof to substantiate her stories, made one marvel. No question fazed her, nothing could trip her up. She had come to nail just one person - Sushant Singh Rajput's sister, and she turned the knife expertly by repeatedly asking the same question, "I want to know what happened to Sushant between 8th and 13th June, when his sister was living in his home." Sushant was found dead on the 14th. Rhea had taken her time to react to the awful news back then and was not seen at the funeral. But hey, she definitely did make the extra effort to go to the mortuary to "see the body" and say "sorry'". Why "Sorry"? "What else could I say? Sushant was dead." Of course. She touched his feet because as "all Indians know", it is a "sign of respect'". After all, she had lost a "beautiful boy" and needed "closure".
Now comes the new angle. She confessed she and her entire family are contemplating suicide. "Get a gun and shoot us all!" she said dramatically, her eyes flashing fire. This simple girl from a 'middle-class' background cannot take the pressure of her loved ones being vilified. She has sought police protection, fearing the worst. Everything, she added, her lower lip trembling, has been 'misconstrued'. Besides, as she challenged, "Where's the proof?" Indeed! Where is it? Yes, she admitted, her boyfriend of a year "lived life kingsize", flew first class, stayed in the best hotels in Europe, and had once blown up 70 lakhs partying with a bunch of guy friends. So what? Not only had this well-brought-up young lady not taken a paisa from her high-living partner, she had also returned 35,000 to him after he had lovingly settled her hair and make-up bill. Oh yes, her brother had indeed been in Italy with the much-in-love couple, as they enjoyed their European holiday, but that's because her boyfriend loved the lad so much, he wanted his company on their little honeymoon. And yes, SSR had also made him a business partner in a couple of ventures - strictly no money, okay? Just bro love.
On the other hand...(Aha! This is when Rhea was at her finest), it was his family that denied him love. His dearly beloved mother had died, some say, after suffering from depression herself. Sushant had not stopped either mourning or looking for her. "It's not good to talk about someone who is no more," she said, her voice quivering. But she went ahead and did it anyway, revealing her partner's marijuana addiction, his claustrophobia and his dependency on prescription drugs. She also brought up the old and almost forgotten #MeToo allegations, and mentioned how hurt he was with reports about his philandering. She, of course, remained the loyal, trusting, butter-won't-melt-in-her-mouth girlfriend, whose sole job was to look after her man and stand by him. As for those awful people who questioned her 'aukaat', She bragged her 'aukaat' is that she was the girlfriend of a big star named Sushant Singh Rajput, who loved her.
There is loads more in the same vein. All of it stated bloodlessly, without a flicker of emotion. She didn't miss a beat dissing people who were close to Sushant, including his ex, and carried on for an hour or more, without tripping up even once. Her language skills (switching between shudh Hindi and impeccable English) were put to great use as she effortlessly dismissed each leading question with a counter-question, and demolished any and every accusation with a sharp rebuttal. Pointed queries about drug use/abuse, or of her being involved with Bollywood gangs, were met head on without as much as a twitch giving her away. Finally, when she was asked a rather obvious and silly question, "So, do you think it's a case of suicide or murder?", pat came Rhea's answer, "Even I want to know the answer!" Touché.
Go home, you anchors. Rhea just flattened your ego curve. Bachke rehna, re Baba.
(Shobhaa De is an established writer, columnist, opinion shaper and social commentator, who is considered an authority on popular culture.)
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