Four months after being imprisoned in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) over a fake drug case she was framed in, actor Chrisann Pereira returned to Mumbai on Thursday, much to the delight of her near and dear ones. Upon returning, she met Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and other senior police officials to thank them for their help.

Speaking to us soon after, Pereira says, “I am so happy to be back. I feel safe and happy to reunite with my family. I am looking forward to whatever life has to bring to me. If we can tackle this, we can tackle anything.”

The past few months, the Sadak 2 (2020) actor reveals, have been “crazy”. “I went into a cloud of darkness and had no idea what was going on. I was also shocked with the overall situation. I was overthinking, trying to make sense of why someone would do this to me,” Pereira’s voice cracks up.

The actor was sent to Sharjah, allegedly by a Mumbai-based baker and his associate (both of whom were arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch on April 29), under the pretext of an audition. They gave her a trophy stuffed with drugs before she boarded the flight. But, upon landing there on April 1, she was arrested and lodged in central prison.

Losing hope in such a situation is very easy. What kept her going? “Every day, I would say to myself, ‘I have to survive’. I would wake up with that intention. Once I spoke to my parents 17 days into my arrest, they gave me hope and updated me every single day on my case. I’d work out to keep my mental health in check. I even danced to no music,” says the 27-year-old.

Now freed from prison life, Pereira hopes to “jump right back into work”. “My family and I are also talking about how much time we are going to be spending together, the food we will eat and the little things we must now appreciate,” the actor signs off.