Meet actress who was Army officer's daughter, arrested after boyfriend's tragic death, faced public scrutiny, called villain; but then made...

Rhea Chakraborty comes from a Bengali family and was born in Bangalore, Karnataka. Her father was an officer in the Indian Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She spent her school years studying at Army Public School in Ambala and later at St. Clare’s School in Agra.

Rhea Chakraborty began her TV journey in 2009 with MTV India's TVS Scooty Teen Diva, where she became the first runner-up. After that, she was selected as a VJ for MTV Delhi and went on to host several popular shows like Pepsi MTV Wassup, TicTac College Beat, and MTV Gone in 60 Seconds.

She made her film debut in 2012 with the Telugu movie Tuneega Tuneega, playing the role of Nidhi. In 2013, she entered Bollywood with Mere Dad Ki Maruti as Jasleen. The following year, she played the lead role in Sonali Cable.

In 2017, she was seen in Bank Chor by YRF and had small roles in Half Girlfriend and Dobaara: See Your Evil. In 2018, she starred in Jalebi opposite Varun Mitra.

In 2020, she topped The Times of India's Most Desirable Women list. Later, in 2023, she appeared as a gang leader on MTV Roadies Season 20, where her team won the season.

Rhea Chakraborty began dating actor Sushant Singh Rajput in April 2019. Later that year, in September 2019, she co-founded an artificial intelligence company named Vividrage Rhealityx along with her brother and Sushant.

In December 2019, the couple started living together. However, Rhea moved out of his house in June 2020, just six days before Sushant’s tragic death by suicide at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai, on 14 June 2020.

After Sushant’s death, Rhea became the prime target of public anger, with several news channels running non-stop coverage accusing her of everything from financial fraud to being involved in his death.

Despite there being no conclusive evidence, she was labelled as a “villain” by many sections of the media. Her private life was dissected on national television, including her WhatsApp chats, videos, and personal habits.

In August 2020, Rhea was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug-related case linked to Sushant’s death. She spent nearly a month in Byculla Jail, Mumbai, before being granted bail. The charges led to further media harassment, and her family was also dragged into the controversy. She was constantly hounded by the paparazzi and followed everywhere, even during court appearances.

The controversy took a toll on her career. Brands and filmmakers distanced themselves from her, and she was largely absent from films and television for some time. Despite being a rising star, her professional journey came to a sudden halt due to the backlash.

With time, some public perception shifted. Many celebrities and common people started calling out the unfair treatment she faced, acknowledging that she was vilified without evidence.

She became a symbol of how damaging trial by media can be, especially for women in the public eye. Rhea’s story remains a harsh example of how fame can quickly turn into trauma when grief is turned into a spectacle.