'Rhea's mom lost her voice, she just couldn't talk.'
'She would stand for hours in the temple with folded hands, constantly praying for protection.'
'Her father was constantly trying to reach out to people who could help his kids.'
The Central Bureau of Investigation recently gave Rhea Chakraborty a clean chit in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, making her heave a sigh of relief.
In an interview to the Indian Express newspaper, her close friend Nidhi Hiranandani revealed the ordeal the actress and her family went through.
The family was socially ostracised while Rhea's brother Showik, who also spent time in jail, was denied admission in many colleges.
Talking about Rhea and Sushant Singh Rajput's relationship, Nidhi told the Indian Express, 'As a couple, they were full of love, it was a beautiful relationship. Both of them were always there for each other.'
After his death, she was thrown into its repercussions and could not even 'mourn properly'.
'Initially, there was a lot of disbelief. We couldn't process where all this was coming from. We were all just coming to terms with all that had happened, and I remember how shattered Rhea and Showik were,' Nidhi said, referring to the media trial that followed.
Rhea's arrest traumatised the family even further.
'That moment of her arrest was absolute panic,' Nidhi is quoted as saying.
'When they were arrested, we didn't know who we could reach out to. It was (during) COVID, uncle and aunty were shattered. I saw them breaking down.
"Rhea's mom lost her voice, she just couldn't talk. She would stand for hours in the temple with folded hands, constantly praying for protection. Her father was constantly trying to reach out to people who could help his kids.'
The incident changed Showik.
'Showik was just 23, he was giving his CAT exams,' Nidhi said. 'He got admission to the most prestigious colleges but he couldn't go. Rhea lost her career, she couldn't do any film.
'Showik was denied admission to most of the colleges because the case was going on. From a boy, he became a man who now wants to build his life and bring stability to the family. He lost his youth, his carefree days.'
Rhea got no support from the film industry at the time.
'People in the industry did show support, not as openly as I would have liked. In that moment, if you spoke pro-Rhea, people were taking you as anti-Sushant. Either you agree that the allegations were true or you were against Sushant. I found that very bizarre.
'We respected Sushant a lot, we loved him, but Rhea was innocent.'
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