No, I can’t erase the visuals I witnessed on social media and television of Rhea Chakraborty being heckled nonstop. Almost felt like the squeezing of your own conscience as a woman. It was hauntingly uncomfortable. The fault? Rhea Chakraborty was involved with Sushant Singh Rajput.
See, the death of Sushant Singh Rajput has pained us all, and to the core. He was an embodiment of what artists go through. When they say, ‘artists go crazy,’ believe them. His sudden death saddened us all. Fans still mourn—for these are real emotions. But does that give us the license to vilify a woman simply because she was involved with the actor? Catcall her, and then go on to dig into her past, and accuse her of doing ‘black magic?’
Black magic became a highlight in the case, if you recall! Also, what was spectacularly ridiculous here was the SSR fans pinning all Bengalis (especially women) down and accusing them of performing ‘witchcraft’ and ‘black magic.’ That was my appalling recognition of the breakdown of society. To state patriarchy here feels like an age-old debate, because I think it is more than that.
In that thundering strife, I could see Rhea alone and empathise with her, as a woman. We are the vulnerable kind, always at risk of being judged—the first ones to get questioned and then just become anonymous as days pass.
And now four years later, Rhea gets a clean chit. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after a thorough probe into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, has discovered no evidence to subsidise the allegations that diverted her life upside down. The agency’s closure report makes it clear: Rhea neither bounded, threatened, nor abetted Sushant’s death. There was no sign of financial misconduct, nor was there any proof that she misused his money or possessions. In fact, the report records that Sushant referred to her as “family.” And yet, back then, she was vilified, humiliated, and reduced to a public spectacle — all because she dared to love a man who met a tragic end. While the CBI’s findings bring a semblance of closure, they also reopen old wounds — a reminder of how swiftly we choose our villains, how easily a woman becomes a convenient target for our collective rage.
The world will always be misfit for assertive women.
