Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 29, 2020)

Rhea Chakraborty made her Telugu debut in 2012 with Tuneega Tuneega following a brief career with a music network, and then got her Bollywood break the following year in Mere Dad Ki Maruti, produced by Yash Raj Films’ youth wing Y-Films. The studio retained her in Bank Chor, and her filmography also includes Sonali Cable and Dobaara: See Your Evil, which slipped through the cracks. The Bengaluru-born actress was last seen in Mukesh Bhatt’s Jalebi (2018), an adaptation of Bengali film Praktan (2016). The film was roundly panned by critics and limited Chakraborty’s prospects in the industry.

Despite the lukewarm responses to her films, the actress was often the centre of controversies. The one that made it to the glossies was about how she was trolled for a photograph she shared on social media. It featured the actress sharing a warm embrace with director Mahesh Bhatt, urging netizens to assume that the two were dating. Bhatt later said in an interview that he was appalled by the assumption and said unapologetically, “I am only responsible for my relationship with this child. If somebody wants to superimpose their perverse mindset, then that is their problem, not ours.”

Rajput and Chakraborty met in 2012 when they were both signed on as YRF talent. Rajput was working on Maneesh Sharma’s Shuddh Desi Romance, while Chakraborty was working on her Hindi debut. Rumours about their relationship sparked only after they were spotted holidaying together in Ladakh in August last year. The buzz grew after the two began sliding into each other’s Instagram posts and were often clicked together by the paparazzi while exiting restaurants and gyms in Bandra. But it was only after Rajput’s death last month that Chakraborty admitted to having been in a relationship and living with the late actor. It is also rumoured that the two were also looking for a property and had plans of getting married later this year.