In a raw and revealing conversation, actor Rhea Chakraborty has detailed the immense trauma of the year 2020 and credited her close-knit circle of female friends for being her lifeline during the storm. Chakraborty's world was upended following the tragic death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, leading to her arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on alleged drug charges.
The Turbulent Chapter of 2020: Arrest, Jail, and Public Scrutiny
The year 2020 proved to be an intensely difficult period for Rhea Chakraborty. After Rajput's passing, she faced a barrage of allegations from his family, including charges of abetment, theft, and financial fraud. The NCB took her into custody, and she spent a grueling 28 days in jail before the Bombay High Court granted her bail. The public scrutiny and media trial were relentless, casting a long shadow over her life and career.
It was only years later, in 2025, that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) finally cleared her name, submitting a closure report that exonerated her of all charges. The legal vindication, however, came after years of personal struggle and rebuilding.
"We Would Have Never Survived": The Power of a Female Support System
In a promotional clip from the finale of her podcast, Chapter 2, Rhea sat down with the women who stood unwaveringly by her side. This group included close friends like actor Shibani Dandekar, her sister Anusha Dandekar, fashion stylist Anisha Jain, and friend Samiksha Shetty.
The emotional clip captured the depth of their bond, with Anusha Dandekar breaking down in tears. Rhea, comforting her, stated, "If she will cry, then I will cry." Reflecting on their indispensable role, Chakraborty shared her father's perspective, saying, "The year 2020 was a difficult time in my life. As my dad says, if it weren’t for these women, we would have never survived. Now we don’t need a temple in the house, we need a picture of these women."
Anisha Jain recalled the collective courage it took, admitting, "2020 was a lot, and we did what we had to. I don’t know where that courage came from."
Impulsive Choices and Seeking Control: The Egg-Freezing Revelation
A particularly surprising anecdote from that time emerged from friend Samiksha Shetty. She recalled a moment when Rhea approached her with an urgent plan. "She just came to me one day and said, 'We have to do this one thing', and I thought she wants to get her nails done, but she said, 'Let’s go freeze our eggs'," Shetty revealed.
This impulsive decision highlights a common psychological response to crisis. Gurleen Baruah, an existential analyst at That Culture Thing, explained that during times of deep uncertainty, people often grapple with existential anxiety—a fear that time or choices are running out. "Making a decision gives a sense of control when everything else feels out of control," Baruah noted. She emphasized that such actions can stem from a personal or societal checklist, and responses are highly individual.
Expert Insight: Why Friends Become the Ultimate Emotional Anchor
Gurleen Baruah elaborated on the critical role friendships play during prolonged crises like legal trouble, public blame, or grief. "Friends become your immediate chosen family. They are equals, not authority figures, not people analysing you. They stand by you without asking you to explain yourself again and again. That kind of presence gives courage," she stated.
She further described how friends help hold hope and provide a sense of safety and belonging that may not always come from family or professionals. "That emotional holding cannot always come from family or professionals. It comes from shared humanity," Baruah concluded.
Understanding Resilience in Hindsight
Baruah also shed light on the nature of resilience during overwhelming times. She pointed out that in the midst of a crisis, one is not consciously being resilient but simply surviving, focusing on getting through each day. "The mind goes into a very basic mode: get through today, then tomorrow. Meaning comes later," she explained.
True resilience, according to the expert, often becomes visible only in retrospect. "As humans, we make sense of life in hindsight. Only after things settle do we realise, 'Oh, that was strength.' At the time, it just felt like doing what we had to," Baruah said. For Rhea Chakraborty, the strength she found was deeply intertwined with the unwavering support of her female friendships, a bond that helped her navigate one of life's most challenging chapters.
