After nearly seven years away from acting, actor Rhea Chakraborty returns to the screen with filmmaker Hansal Mehta’s upcoming series. Her comeback follows a prolonged period of legal battles and public scrutiny following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020, whom she had dated from early 2019 until his passing.

Opening up about the emotional struggle of being away from her acting career, she says, “Letting go of this dream of acting, which I had worked towards for over a decade, took many sessions of therapy. I had to stop thinking about it because I couldn’t have it; I didn’t get acting opportunities.”

Rhea’s last theatrical release was Chehre (2021); she later appeared in the reality show Roadies (2023, 2025) and hosted her podcast Chapter 2 (2024-26). Yet, she was largely away from mainstream acting. The 33-year-old adds that the break was not by choice: “I had to pause, with discomfort and pain. Maybe I wouldn’t have been ready immediately after what happened anyway, emotionally, mentally, or physically. The years when no one wanted to work with me were excruciatingly painful. God and the universe have given us all resilience; we just have to tap into it. Had it not been for my friends and family, I don’t think I would have come out of it the way I did.”

Actor Rhea Chakraborty’s life was upended in 2020 after the death of her former boyfriend, actor Sushant Singh Rajput. She faced a tumultuous period marked by multiple allegations from his family and her arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau over alleged drug links. Reflecting on that phase now, Rhea says she wouldn’t have survived it without the constant support of her girlfriends.

Rhea walked down the memory lane and looked back at the year of 2020 during the finale episode of her podcast Chapter 2 with Rhea Chakraborty. Rhea was accompanied on the episode by her close friends, including actors Shibani Dandekar and Anusha Dandekar.

During the episode, Rhea spoke about her friends supporting her through the tough time. “At that time, it was not cool to announce that these are the people who were supporting me. Today, I am sitting at a place where I want to say that I survived the storm. People keep telling me you are strong but I only survived this because of certain people in my life,” Rhea said.

She added, “And that is so freeing for me to be able to say that out loud. This was my crew. These were the people who supported me and it is not going to create backlash for you guys.” The actor also shared, “The year 2020 was a difficult time of 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.”

Rhea faced time in jail and a social boycott following the death of her ex-boyfriend Sushant in 2020. Last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) closure report in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case has brought relief to Rhea, as she has been cleared of any charges.

Actor Rhea Chakraborty has lived through a storm few in show business could imagine. Five years after facing jail time and a social boycott following the death of her ex-boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput in 2020, Rhea recently received a clean chit from the CBI, a verdict that was even opposed by Rajput’s family. The ordeal, she admits, left her battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and struggling to rebuild her life.

Yet, Rhea says her pain eventually became a bridge that connected her with others. “What I went through was so public that a lot of people automatically felt comfortable sharing their problems with me because they believed I understood mental health issues,” she says. “Among my own friends, a few girls confided in me about their husbands or family members, people I’ve known for ten years but who were too scared to talk before. They finally opened up after they saw me survive something bad too,” the actor adds.

The 32-year-old recalls how gratitude and faith kept her grounded during the darkest phases: “I used to wake up and go to bed reminding myself what I was thankful for, even when it felt like there was nothing to be thankful for. I’d tell myself, my legs work, my hands work, my eyes see and that’s enough for today.”

Her biggest source of strength, however, came from her daily recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa. “I started reading it in 2020, and now I recite it at least seven times a day. It’s like meditation for me,” she says, adding, “Beyond that, it’s the deep, honest connections with a few friends that truly help. Sharing is powerful, it heals. That’s why I started my podcast: I realized how much we can learn from other people’s journeys.”

Reflecting on the broader stigma surrounding mental health, Rhea says little has changed despite growing awareness. “There’s still a large section of society that believes mental illness is just drama or weakness. They say, ‘control your mind,’ without realizing that in genuine disorders, the person can’t. It’s not about willpower, it’s a chemical imbalance, and that’s something people still don’t understand,” she says.

If the universe had listened to Anurag Kashyap’s wish, Nishaanchi would have been released eight years ago with late Sushant Singh Rajput in the lead. But each film has its destiny, and the upcoming crime drama was destined for Aaishvary Thackeray.

The filmmaker recalls, “Sushant Singh Rajput agreed to play the lead, and we had made an announcement too. But then he changed his mind as he signed two big commercial films — Drive [2019] and Dil Bechara [2020]. After that, I met other actors and they all wanted to do bigger movies. Then I decided to wait for a newcomer, who would be good enough to pull off this role.”

Kashyap’s eight-year wait paid off. Today, he is launching Thackeray and Vedika Pinto with Nishaanchi, which tells the story of twins Babloo and Dabloo who have contrasting life values. “If I hadn’t found Aaishvary, I’d still be sitting on this script,” says the director, adding that the debutant’s showreel left him impressed.

“In his showreel, Aaishvary did the most difficult monologues, including one of Manoj Bajpayee’s from Shool [1999]. When I cast Aaishvary and Vedika, I told their parents that if they’re doing this film, they cannot be doing anything else. They kept getting offers, but they said no to everything and trusted me. It’s difficult to mount a film like Nishaanchi if the newcomers take up another project and that doesn’t turn out to be good enough. It’s like what Aditya Chopra did with Ahaan Panday.”

As soon as Nishaanchi’s trailer dropped online, Kashyap’s fans compared it to Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012). The filmmaker says the crime drama is his attempt to go beyond the 2012 offering.

“After Wasseypur, everybody kept offering me the same thing. I wanted to step away from that. There’s more to North India than Wasseypur and gaalis. With Nishaanchi, I made a family drama with seeti-maar dialogues, like a Deewar [1975] or Trishul [1978], rather than a gangster film.”

It’s a long-awaited sunrise for Rhea Chakraborty — an actress whose life was upended in the wake of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic death by suicide in 2020. Vilified by the media and ostracized by much of the industry, Rhea became the face of a public witch-hunt that few could have survived with grace. Five years later, she is stepping forward into a new chapter—one not defined by controversy but by creativity, courage, and a quiet determination to rebuild. Alongside her brother Showik, she has co-founded a clothing brand that represents a fresh start. In a personal, long-overdue conversation with a leading publication, Rhea opens up about career setbacks, finding healing through work, and learning to move forward.

The reason behind starting a clothing store - Chapter 2 in Bandra, for Rhea was not born out of a choice. “We both kind of lost our career paths because of everything that happened to us in 2020. I had lost my acting career because no one would work with me at that point. We were like, ‘Okay, what do we do? We have to do something, right?’ It's okay that the things that we wanted to do are not happening. (But) You want to wake up and you want to have a purpose,” she recalls.

Rhea, a former video jockey, started her acting career in 2013 with Mere Dad ki Maruti. Her last film was Chehre in 2021. She admits it was frustrating to be not able to do what she wanted to.

“Honestly, it was really difficult to come to terms with the fact that the dream that you had since you were 17 and the path that you were set on for 10 years is no longer a path that exists. It’s not even like ab kaam dhundhna hai, it’s like ab koi kaam nahi de raha ya kar sakta hai. Even if somebody wanted to work, they were scared of the trolling. It's not like people didn't want to work, there was an interest, but it was not happening. Maybe their investors were saying no, or the platforms were saying no. At one point I had to take a stand for myself – Either I can be delusional and hope that it will happen one day, or I can be like if it happens one day, great, but I need to do something else because I'm young, I'm able-bodied, and I need to work. A large part of my healing will also come from working. If you're just sitting at home, you don't heal,” she explains.

After a tumultuous period in the public eye, Rhea reflects on the arduous process of healing and rebirth, as she learned to separate her identity from her profession. “The last five years have been really hard for me and for my family and for everyone in different ways. Healing is a process. It doesn't happen overnight. And the trauma was long drawn. It was heartbreaking. I did a lot of therapy sessions around the fact that, ‘Okay, Rhea, you're no longer an actor, and that's okay, and you need to let go of this dream because it's just not possible for you’. So, I had to break that piece of your heart and be like, now you don't beat for this role anymore,” she reminisces.

Having weathered years of scrutiny, Rhea has found strength in acceptance and joy in simplicity. Earlier this year in March Rhea and her brother got a clean chit by the CBI in the widely reported case. Rhea chooses to maintain a stoic silence about the clean chit, however, reflects on the year that has gone by: "Just one word for the year that's gone - Gratitude. It's been amazing. It finally feels like a sunrise after a really long, dark, deserted, long night. So, I feel like I wake up in the morning and I have tears of gratitude sometimes. The gratitude level is so immense that the small problems don't bother us as much anymore. And the small happiness and the small joys are now the big things.”

The actress who became a victim of a media trial, admits she has evolved and credits her “life experiences” for the evolution. She also credits TV reality show Roadies for helping her heal.

“Roadies has been a huge part of my healing. The previous season was the first season that I came back to work... If there's any change that's happened to me, that's happened because of my life experiences. And of course, Roadies also does teach you a lot of things. It was a platform where I could be myself and not worry about judgment. When you've been brutally trolled the way, I have been, you kind of get a little bit close and cagey. Anything you say can backfire. If you go in a rickshaw also, people can call you names. Then you don't know how to be anymore in public. But with Roadies, I slowly eased up and I gave up the whole guard and I could just be more me. Many people are getting to see who I am and not what they think of me.”

While she has been away from movies, she continues to work as a podcaster, a Roadies mentor, and now an entrepreneur. Ask Rhea what she wants next, and her response will warm anyone's heart. “The one most singular goal that I have is of course my parents and my brother to be happy and peaceful and then to have enough money and financial independence that if I ever need a lawyer, I don't have to think twice. I can just hire the most, the best lawyer without having to think even one second about how expensive they are and how to get the money for it. So that's my financial goal. And whenever I get to that goal, I shall be at peace,” she signs off.

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“In my life experiences that I have lived, and I have lived a lot, I feel like everything that you planned is just a thought process. Whatever has to happen will happen. I like going with the flow a little bit in terms of what I want from my life is that I want to put in my 100% and I don't want to look back few years from now and being like, you didn't do enough. That's the one regret I don't want to have.”

Satish Salian, the father of Disha Salian—who recently filed a petition accusing several high-profile figures for his daughter’s death—was named in the earlier police closure report as one of the factors contributing to her alleged depressive state on the night of her death. The Malwani police’s closure report, submitted after investigating Disha Salian’s alleged suicide on June 8, 2020, states that apart from failed projects and misunderstandings with friends, her father had misused her hard-earned money, spending it on a female employee at his spice-making unit in Thane.

Disha had confided in a few friends, including her fiancé, about this betrayal. On June 2, 2020, after confronting her father over the money transfers, she moved to stay at her fiancé Rohan Roy’s flat in Jankalyan Nagar. Following an extensive probe, which included evidence collection and witness statements, the Malwani police concluded that Disha had died by suicide. The closure report was filed on February 4, 2021. 

On the night between June 8 and 9, 2020, Disha allegedly jumped from the 12th floor of Regent Galaxy Tower in Jankalyan Nagar, Malad. She was rushed to Evershine Nursing Home, then to Tunga Hospital, and finally to Shatabdi Hospital, where she was declared brought dead. 

The investigation revealed that the flat from which she jumped belonged to her fiancé, Rohan Roy. Disha and Rohan had been in a relationship since 2014 and got engaged in 2017, with plans to marry after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Salian had initially been living in Dadar Naigaon with her parents, but after purchasing the flat in Malad, she split her time between both places. Until the lockdown, she and Rohan were living at her father’s house in Naigaon, but they moved to the Malad flat on June 4, 2020. Further investigations revealed that Roy, an actor and model, had worked in several TV serials, while Salian was a celebrity manager and had previously worked with the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. 

The Malwani police determined that at the time of the incident, Salian’s fiancé Roy was present, along with her childhood school and college friends—Indranil Vaidya, Deep Ajmera, Himanshu Shikhre, and Resha Padwal. Upon discovering the incident, they rushed Salian to the hospital and also informed her parents, Satish and Vasanthi Salian, over the phone, asking them to reach Shatabdi Hospital in the early hours of June 9, 2020. 

An inquest panchnama was conducted at Shatabdi Hospital in the presence of witnesses. Salian’s clothes and belongings were collected and sent for forensic examination. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a swab test was also conducted, and her body was kept for one to two days pending the results. Once the COVID test returned negative, an autopsy was performed at Bhagwati Hospital in Borivli. The autopsy report confirmed that Salian died due to multiple injuries, indicating an unnatural death. The police recorded statements from Salian’s friends, fiancé Roy, and her parents. 

“Everyone stated that Salian was under stress due to business and family issues. She was working as a celebrity manager at Cornerstone Company, and two of the projects she was handling had stalled, which left her upset. All of Salian's friends and her fiancé Roy also stated in their police statements that she had confided in them about her father’s affair and how he had spent the money she gave him for business on another woman. This deeply saddened her,” the report said. 

As per the closure report Salian hosted a birthday party for her friends Indranil and Deep at her flat on June 8, 2020. The gathering started at 7 pm on June 8, with music and alcohol and Disha on the night of her death was was drunk. Around 11.45 pm, Salian received a call from her London-based friend, Ankita, and went to the bedroom. Indranil, Deep, Rohan, Risha, and Himanshu later joined her. Eventually, Himanshu returned to the hall, followed by Salian, who appeared distressed.

Shortly after, Salian locked herself inside the bedroom. When Rohan’s friends noticed her absence, they informed him. He knocked but got no response. Assuming she was in the bathroom, he initially ignored it. After knocking again with no answer, they forced open the door, finding the room empty. The bathroom was vacant too. Seeing the open window, they looked outside and found Salian lying near a parked car.

Her parents accepted the police investigation, which concluded suicide as the cause of death. However, following Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, fresh claims led to a reinvestigation. The final closure report reaffirmed suicide, with no note found. Statements from Salian's friends, parents, and all individuals who visited the building between June 4 and June 9, 2020, were recorded. Additionally, the statements of everyone who called Disha on or before the day of the incident were documented. 

Call data records, CCTV footage of the building, and a clone of Disha's mobile phone data were preserved. Statements from witnesses, relatives, and friends were also considered. Forensic and post-mortem reports were thoroughly analysed, and based on all collected evidence, it was concluded that ADR number 85/2020, registered with Malwani police, was a case of suicide.

The reason for the suicide was not explicitly disclosed, and no suicide note was found. The police recorded detailed statements from Salian’s father, Satish, and mother, Vasanthi, who did not raise any complaints, leading to the registration of an Accidental Death Report (ADR). 

Social media later fueled allegations of gang rape and political involvement after Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide. On July 9, 2020, Salian’s father filed a complaint against three YouTubers for defaming his daughter. In 2023, he also filed a complaint against former Union Minister Narayan Rane and his son Nitesh. Currently, both are out on bail. 

The case resurfaced after Satish Salian filed a petition , alleging his daughter was raped and murdered. His petition names high-profile figures, including Aaditya Thackeray, Rhea Chakraborty, Dino Morea, Sooraj Pancholi, ex-Mumbai police commissioner Parambir Singh, and dismissed officer Sachin Waze, demanding a case against all accused in the 2020 incident.

The reporter attempted to contact Disha's father, Satish Salian, for his response, but he did not reply to messages or calls. However, his lawyer, Nilesh Ojha, provided a statement, saying: “It is important to note that as per the binding judgment of the Supreme Court, any closure report filed in an enquiry under Section 174 CrPC (Accidental Death Report/ADR) has no evidentiary value and cannot be relied upon by the accused in cases where cognizable offences are clearly disclosed. Therefore, the earlier closure report holds no legal weight.”

“It is a case of suicide, without any medical doubt,” said Dr Sudhir Gupta, professor and head of forensic medicine at AIIMS, Delhi, speaking to mid-day on Sunday about actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death following the CBI’s closure report. A medical board of five senior AIIMS doctors, chaired by Dr Gupta, unanimously concluded that actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death was a case of suicide.

“Based on AIIMS’s forensic report, circumstantial investigations, and corroboration of all available evidence, the CBI has filed a closure report in the actors death case,” Dr Gupta told mid-day. Following the CBI’s takeover of the investigation in 2020—after registering an FIR based on a complaint by the actor’s father—the agency sought an expert opinion from AIIMS, submitting 16 questions for clarity.

A three-member forensic team from AIIMS, along with officials from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and the CBI, visited Cooper Hospital’s postmortem centre and the actor’s residence, where he was found dead on June 14, 2020. “Our team approached this case holistically. It was not a second postmortem but an expert forensic analysis meant to settle nationwide doubts,” said Dr Gupta.

Excerpts of AIIMS medical board’s answers

The ligature mark on the neck is consistent with antemortem hanging. The neck dissection did not show any injuries or haemorrhages in the subcutaneous tissues, muscles, cartilage, hyoid bone, or other internal laryngeal structures. No drugs or poison were detected in the viscera or blood. The cause of death is asphyxia due to antemortem hanging.

Ante-mortem hanging in this case is suicidal in nature.

Yes, the kurta could have produced the ligature mark during hanging.

The ligature mark is a pressure abrasion, ascending from front to back on the upper neck. The pattern is consistent with antemortem hanging.

The spot corresponds to the left collar of the T-shirt the deceased was wearing. The collar was likely caught beneath the noose, causing this mark.

No. Toxicology reports from AIIMS and Forensic Science Laboratory, Mumbai, ruled out the presence of any poison or drugs.

This is a sign of ante-mortem hanging.

This is suggestive of death due to antemortem hanging.

No major issues were found, except for procedural differences.

AIIMS opinion: The bluish discoloration is characteristic of asphyxial death due to hypoxia.

The deceased had consumed coconut water and pomegranate juice at around 9.15 am. The presence of liquid in the stomach and an empty bladder suggests he hanged himself within 30–60 minutes of his last oral intake.

No external or internal injuries were found apart from the ligature mark. The faint purplish discolouration on the lower limbs is due to postmortem hypostasis, not injuries.

Considering all facts and evidence, the deceased likely died around 10.00 am on June 14, 2020.

The medical board examined multiple possibilities, including strangulation, the use of a stun gun, drug incapacitation, and staged hanging. After thorough analysis, the board concluded that the manner of death was suicidal antemortem hanging.

Senior criminal lawyer Dinesh Tiwari stated that the closure report can be contested in court by the complainant. “The court may accept or reject the report. If rejected, further investigation may be ordered,” he said.

New Delhi/Mumbai: Four-and-a half years after it began probing the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the CBI is learned to have closed the case and given a clean chit to actor Rhea Chakraborty, bringing curtains on a case that had gripped the country, reports Rajshekhar Jha. Rajput was found dead at his Bandra flat on June 14, 2020.

The probe agency is learned to have filed a closure report in two of the cases it was investigating, sources said. While one case was filed in Aug 2021 in Patna by Rajput's father against Rhea, her kin and others, the other was filed in Sept by Rhea against Rajput's sister and doctor.

The closure report in both was filed in a special Mumbai court, sources said. Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said, "Rhea Chakraborty had to undergo untold miseries and was behind bars for 27 days for no fault of hers until Justice Sarang V Kotwal released her on bail. I salute her and her family for having kept silent and yet suffered the inhuman treatment they were meted out. Innocent people were hounded and paraded before the media and investigative authorities. I hope this does not repeat in any case."

Rajput was found dead at his Bandra apartment on June 14, 2020, six days after his PR manager Disha Salian died. Mumbai police, which first probed the case, termed it as a case of suspected suicide, although no suicide note had been found. The provisional post-mortem suggested the cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging.

Coincidentally, on Wednesday, Disha's father Satish Salian alleged his daughter was gangraped and murdered. He has filed a plea demanding a CBI probe into her death, alleging that Rajput was visibly frightened and repeatedly expressed fear that "those people" responsible for her death would not spare him and that he would be killed. He has said both deaths are interconnected and part of a larger conspiracy.

The CBI FIR in Rajput's case named Rhea and her kin Indrajit Chakraborty, Sandhya and Showik apart from her associates Samuel Miranda and Shruti Modi.

The FIR, initially filed by Bihar police, had sections of IPC related to criminal conspiracy, abetment of suicide, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation.

After Rajput's cremation at Vile Parle's Pawan Hans crematorium, Mumbai police began their investigation, recording statements from film and casting director Mukesh Chhabra, Rajput's girlfriend Rhea, and his managerial staff. In July that year, producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali was questioned, stating he had offered Rajput four films, but eventually featured in none.

Rhea, who confirmed being in a relationship with Rajput on Twitter (now X), demanded a CBI inquiry. Mumbai police also recorded statements of filmmaker Aditya Chopra and three psychiatrists. Meanwhile, an FIR was registered against Rhea in Patna on July 28, and a team of Bihar police reached Mumbai to probe the case.

The Enforcement Directorate inquired about the money laundering angle in the case and questioned Rhea but they found no substance against her. Subsequently, the NCB initiated a probe against her along with others on allegations of procurement of drugs for Rajput which led to her arrest. In Aug 2021, the CBI filed an FIR against Rhea and others, and the ED too summoned her for questioning.

An AIIMS forensic team was roped in by the CBI on August 22, and the ED unearthed a drug angle in the case, involving the Narcotics Control Bureau.

In September 2021, Rhea filed an FIR against Rajput's sisters and doctor, which was transferred to the CBI as well.

This is the second case which has been closed as well, sources said. In October, reports emerged that the AIIMS panel had dismissed the murder theory, although the CBI stated they were probing all angles.

Mumbai: Maharashtra's junior home minister Yogesh Kadam told the legislative assembly Thursday that the SIT probe into Disha Salian's death would be fast-tracked and "no one will be spared". Salian, former manager of deceased actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died on June 8, 2020.

The statement was made as BJP and Shiv Sena MLAs sought to know when the SIT would conclude its probe. Their demand came a day after Disha's father prepared a petition to be filed in Bombay HC asking for a fresh probe into her death and "custodial interrogation" of Aaditya Thackeray in the case.

The legislative assembly was adjourned for ten minutes Thursday after BJP and Shiv Sena MLAs demanded a thorough probe into the Disha Salian death case and asked when the SIT, formed in Dec 2022 to probe the matter, would conclude its investigation and submit its report.

Minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam said the SIT probe was ongoing and its report had not been submitted yet. “Disha Salian’s father has filed a petition in HC, the state govt has also been made party to it. So once we get directions from the HC, we will take stern and appropriate action. The law is the same for all, we will not spare anyone,” he said.

The issue was raised by BJP MLA Ameet Satam through a point of information and backed by Sena MLA Arjun Khotkar and Sena minister Shambhuraje Desai.

The legislative council was also adjourned three times, with the Salian issue raised by Sena MLC Manisha Kayande leading to the second adjournment. The opposition accused chairman Ram Shinde of bias, and Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab reacted strongly. Satam said, “There is big suspicion about this case.

Even after 2 years, the SIT has not given any conclusion. Now Disha’s father has alleged Disha was gang-raped and murdered. He has said the MVA govt tried to bury the case. The then mayor of Mumbai met the family and misled them and asked them to avoid talking about the case.

They were asked not to seek any probe and pressure was put on them. They are now sure... a minister in the then govt is responsible and incident happened because of that minister. This is very serious. Just because someone is powerful and born with a silver spoon… this is very unfortunate.” He further said, “By when will the SIT report and conclusion be put before the public? Will those named by Satish Salian, including the then minister and mayor, be interrogated in custody?”

In the council, after Sena’s Kayande raised the issue, BJP group leader Pravin Darekar said Disha’s father’s petition mentioned “gang-rape, pressure exerted by former mayor Kishori Pednekar on the Salians not to pursue the matter, minister Nitesh Rane’s accusations being true, and it mentioned Aaditya Thackeray and (actor) Dino Morea.” Darekar demanded the inquiry be handed over to the CBI. BJP’s Chitra Wagh demanded the SIT report be made public.

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MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray and party chief Uddhav Thackeray hit back at the Mahayuti over allegations in the Disha Salian death case on Thursday, with Aaditya saying there were continuous attempts to defame him and tarnish his reputation for the last five years and that he would respond to questions in court.

Uddhav Thackeray said every time the legislature session begins, the Salian issue is brought up. Uddhav said Aaditya had "no connection" with the case at all, but if politics were to be taken in the wrong direction, everyone would be hurt. He also said that if BJP was "building things on lies, it would backfire on them."

"How did this issue not come up in the last 2-3 sessions? I was surprised by this. Every time this issue is brought up, there is nothing new in it. Farmers' pyres are burning; who is responsible for it? Farmers' mothers and sisters are suffering. Many were killed, like in the (sarpanch) Santosh Deshmukh case.

Their children are demanding justice. What is the govt's position on this? Whatever Disha Salian's lawyer says, he should tell it in court. Many generations of our family are before the public," Uddhav said.

Aaditya said what was important was that UBT Sena and MVA had exposed the govt in the budget session of the state legislature. "I have been talking about real issues for the past five years; I will only talk about real issues... Not only us, the RSS has also exposed the govt. They have also said the Aurangzeb issue is not relevant. So will BJP netas now demand action against them?" he asked.

Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut alleged that Disha's father was under pressure now to reopen the case. He said parents whose daughter has passed away do not remain silent for five years and added this was an attempt to defame the Thackeray family.

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar also attacked the BJP, accusing it of politicizing actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death for elections and claimed that the party would do politics over Disha Salian after her father sought a probe into her death.

Aaditya said if the ruling party wants to adjourn proceedings of the House on the Salian issue, they could do so. "BJP has not included any of the ten promises in its manifesto in the budget. We exposed them on Aurangzeb, on Hindutva. One minister even had to resign. After all this, why should the House be shut down? They are doing it in my name. Let the House be closed. But people are asking the question: you are an MLA from the ruling party. We have elected you to work. Talk about Maharashtra. Discuss real issues," he said.

It all started with conspiracy theories as to why Hollywood actors and stars of the 2024 movies, It Ends with Us, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, were unable to get along during the shoot of the said movie. “Creative disagreement” was the popular term used for it, but what lay underneath was slander, and an effort to put down the other. Soon, social media was rife with conspiracy theories—some experts reading body language of the two stars—some just pondering on why they were both not seen together during promotions of the movie. It was declared: the two couldn’t stand each other.

There was some truth to the fire, as in the past two week, both Lively and Baldoni have filed lawsuits against each other. Lively’s account, where she accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment, was also reported in the New York Times by Megan Twohey (who has reported on the Harvey Weinstein case) with the headline: “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside A Hollywood Smear Machine”. What took centrestage: the use of social media and the Internet to create a narrative (true or not) of the other. 

But how is Bollywood viewing this? A celebrity manager, on condition of anonymity, says the best way to attack a star is to attack their “image”. “They care for nothing as much as their image. And creative disagreements and celebrity fall-outs are rampant in this industry. For instance, Salman Khan walked out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film after announcing it. Of course, that couldn’t have been pleasant. But what separates that from the Baldoni-Lively case is that neither party went out of their way to pull the other one down. A classic case of a Bollywood smear campaign is what happened to Kangana.”

Actress Kangana Ranaut has publicly admitted to being at the receiving end of the industry’s inability to stomach her. In 2021, she said, “Just last week, I lost more than five lakh followers on Instagram. They gang up on you, boycott you, and if that leaves you happy and content, they ruin your image and brand. That’s how they killed Sushant [Singh Rajput]. That’s how they harass outsiders who don’t need them for work. There are paid smear campaigns happening on Instagram as well… Many derogatory memes and fake information about me are spread. Instagram is also paid as my followers numbers automatically drop, fans who unfollow don’t even realize it... There is a proper investment of troll army, creative budget to make memes, to write lies to spread smear campaigns, movie mafia + political mafia + jaded actors who are rejected lovers, you are jealous of even a fruit bowl...”

These observations were following an incident when Ranaut posted a picture of herself having breakfast, and got trolled. 

A former publicist of Ranaut’s, who worked with her for a year, told us, “This whole impression that Kangana is difficult and a loose cannon, has been created. She is very professional and believes in doing her work and going home. She has a certain political leaning and believes in it strongly, but who isn’t leaning towards the establishment today. Why should she be vilified? Then it all boils down to—is she good at her work? Oh yes, she is. It’s a good question to ask then—why is she not getting films? Some part of the answer is that she has managed to offend her directors. She has wanted creative control and I personally believe, directors allow men the creative control, when women ask for it, there’s an issue. There has been a systematic smear campaign on Kangana—where videos of her using a fake horse have been leaked when every actor does that for period films. Money has been spent on bringing her down. If one wishes to study a smear campaign, they should go through Kangana’s career post 2015.”

The problem happens when a one-off dispute shifts from professional disagreements to personal attacks, with media outlets amplifying unverified claims from anonymous insiders. This pattern is a textbook example of how celebrity feuds are orchestrated and sustained in the digital age. Earlier this week, a slanderous article on Triptii Dimri appeared on a website, which claimed that she was removed from Aashiqui 3 because makers weren’t comfortable with her bold avatar in Animal. In Triptii’s case, the story may be planted by professional rivals who want to cost her an opportunity/or envious of the fact that she is currently shooting for Vishal Bhardwaj’s film with Shahid Kapoor.

But it could be a reach to say this only happens to the women in the industry. An industry veteran pointed out that in 2014, Aamir Khan met Mumbai Police to complain about “false and malicious messages” that were being circulated in social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp to damage his image and reputation of his issue-based show Satyamev Jayate.

“Aamir Khan complained to us about some objectionable messages getting circulated (against him),” a police official had told the press then.

But how do the smear campaigns work, and more importantly, do they succeed in today’s media landscape? Let’s take a closer look at Bollywood’s modus operandi.

Tushar Joshi, entertainment editor of India Today, tells us, “These smear campaigns are age-old in the industry. Sometimes they are direct and sometimes they are proxy. But what is going on in Hollywood is something actors in Bollywood have faced. These campaigns happen via publicists, production houses, actors and colleagues and friends who have agendas different from their rivals. Maybe emails, voice calls haven’t been made public. They might have been exchanged in private to sway the minds of the opinion makers. The only difference is most of what happens in Bollywood happens behind closed doors. With the Baldoni-Lively case out in the open now, new norms are being set.”

Smear campaigns are rarely explicit. They are carefully orchestrated efforts that exploit the vulnerabilities of digital ecosystems. A lot of the battle has moved to Redditt.

In an email interview, the Reddit account, Bollywood, tells us, “We frequently get requests to post leaks and we do so. So far, we haven’t got commercial deals but it’s only a matter of time until we get there. We list it under unverified goss. We have noticed a lot of gossip on Kartik Aaryan, Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and the things that we get told are juicy. Clearly, someone wants to feed these stories to the public. The tabloids have stopped carrying gossip, so we have to. A post can look organic, but it’s often the first step in a much-larger campaign.”

A Bollywood publicist tells us, “Earlier, the approach was subtle. Journalists were given insider tidbits—sometimes, stories were planted by mentioning them in passing. The goal is to create a seed of doubt in their audience’s mind. But now, it has become all about money. Influencers with followers ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 are often paid to post seemingly neutral content that’s actually part of a coordinated campaign. A simple Instagram story about a '“troubling blind item' can snowball into a full-blown scandal.”

“Smear campaigns work because they tap into our collective love for drama. Controversy sells, and people are quick to believe what aligns with their existing biases. It’s classic voyeurism,” says a Bollywood podcaster. But at the same time, a smear campaign has little correlation to a film. There is plenty of hate against Ranbir Kapoor but his film, Animal, made nearly Rs 1,000 crores.

Veteran director Anurag Kashyap had said before that a smear campaign might work for a weekend, but it can’t sustain itself if the audience connects with the work of an actor. At the end of the day, content is king.

In the end, none of the bitterness matters, says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. “The goal is that a film must work. Smear campaigns pique curiosity and fuels the news cycle. But the audience wants a movie, they want to be entertained. Often films have gone through political controversies and personal issues and have powered through because the film is good. Also none of this affects an actor’s brand value. It is a he said/she said story until someone goes to the cinema hall and says ‘oh what a film’. I have to quote a story here. B R Chopra and Madhubala went into a famous trial over a film. She was replaced by Vyjayanthimala and the film did very well despite this controversy. Collections remained unaffected. I had asked Chopra sa’ab, ‘Aapko laga nahi negativity aajayegi’ and he had said, ‘Kaam karma hota hai. Acha kaam kariye and the audience will reward you’. The interpersonal dynamics may be shaken, but cinema will last forever.”

It’s been a decade since Rajkumar Hirani made PK. The director shares that it was only a few weeks ago that Aamir Khan called him and shared that he was shooting in Sambhar – the location where the film’s opening scene was shot and where alien PK landed over 10 years ago.

“Aamir said, ‘I’m here and have so many memories.’ That’s where we shot his nude scene, which became the iconic poster, and Aamir so sportingly did it all. From Sambhar to Jaipur, Delhi, and even Belgium, where we shot with Anushka and Sushant at the time, PK took us to many places. Like every film, I have tons of great memories from this one too,” he says. Now a decade later, the director takes us on a journey to the making of this cinematic hit.

PK had some of the memorable dialogues – ‘Lul ho gayi humri life, humra gola par log jhoot nahi bolat hai, aise tukar tukar ka dekhat ho?’ Initially, since the character lands in Rajasthan, the idea was that he would hold someone’s hand, learn their language, and speak Rajasthani.

Hirani shares, “But at some stage, Aamir said, ‘I’ve always wanted to try Bhojpuri, and it might sound more interesting.’ Then, we assumed that the person whose hand he holds is from Bihar. When Aamir delivered the lines in Bhojpuri instead of Rajasthani, it sounded so much more interesting. So, we decided to go with Bhojpuri.”

Hirani shares, “I’ve always felt that India’s diverse languages and dialects add so much richness to storytelling. Giving PK a dialect instead of plain Hindi brought a lot of colour to the character. It’s like in Munnabhai, Mumbai slang – ‘Watt lag gayi meri’ is so much more fun than saying, ‘Main phans gaya’ or ‘Main mar gaya’.”

Before the release of the film, no one knew what it was about. Hirani recalls, “Certain things, when included in promotions, aren’t always very inviting to watch a film. For example, when we were working on Lage Raho Munna Bhai, the initial title was Munna Bhai Meets Mahatma Gandhi. At some point, I felt that the mention of Mahatma Gandhi might not seem very exciting for an entertaining film. People might not feel compelled to watch it and could even be repelled by the idea. I thought, let’s first bring the audience in. Once they’re in, they’ll understand what we’re trying to say. That’s when we changed the name to Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Similarly, for PK, we didn’t want to reveal upfront that it was a film about God and religion. I decided to let the audience come in first. As a result, there were a lot of speculations: maybe the film was about an alien, or maybe the title PK referred to a drunkard, or perhaps Aamir’s character was a loony. The confusion created curiosity. The way Aamir looked in the trailers made people wonder if he was a drunkard or an alien. I wanted the audience to come in and let the film speak for itself.”

None of Sushant Singh Rajput’s films had been released at the time of PK, but Rajkumar Hirani had seen some footage and decided to cast him. He recalls, “I remember we were shooting with him when his first film was released. We all went to see his first film at that time”

Talking about how Aamir Khan came on board, Rajkumar Hirani shares, “I had kind of narrated the core idea to Aamir. He said, ‘Yes, it’s a great idea, but it’s a difficult script to write. So, if you manage to write it, let me know.’ After a year or so, when the script was finally ready, he was the first person I went to and narrated it to. He loved it and immediately said he wanted to do it.”

At one point in the film, PK says, “Naam kucho nahi hai hamaar, lekin pata nahi kaahe sablog hamka Pk-Pk bulwat hai”. Why? “The film was initially titled Tully,” Hirani reveals, “It felt too slangy, so we decided to call it PK. Wherever Aamir’s character went, people called him PK. He goes to the police station to file a complaint against God, and the policeman asks, ‘Pi ke hai kya?’ Then he goes to a temple and asks for his donation back, and again, someone says, ‘Pi ke aaya hai kya?’ That’s when his character begins to think that his name is PK. The idea was to make him seem drunk because the things he was saying were so absurd.”

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“Boman Irani tested for the role of the godman or guru, but the director felt he somehow didn’t fit the image. So, we tried several actors and came to Saurabh Shukla. Saurabh had that perfect look and was ready to shave his head for the role, which made him even more fitting for the character,” Hirani shared.

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Rajkumar Hirani says, "Reality is far more interesting than fiction. Primarily, the idea behind making PK or any of his films is to entertain people. You don’t go out and say that you want to really put a message."

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Rajkumar Hirani says, "The climax scene of PK reflects exactly that - the reality is, we never know who made us or why we are here. Obviously, there is some larger presence, which you can call anything - God, nature, or some mystery. So, we ended up saying in the film that there are two Gods - one we know nothing about, and the one we created."

Actor Manjot Singh best known for his stint in the Fukrey series, admits that he has been slated as a comedic actor, despite his endeavours being otherwise. Manjot started his career in 2008 with Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, and went on to do roles in movies such as Dream Girl series, Student Of The Year series, and the recently releasedWild Wild Punjab. As the actor completes 15 years in the industry, he admits he wishes to try new things.

Talking about his journey he says, "It’s been a splendid journey so far as an actor. The industry has been kind. It is like a dream come true, a dream that I had not even dreamt. I'm very happy but not satisfied. Because I think the day satisfaction comes it would be full stop for me."

"I want to try new things. I want to do so much. I feel the industry has only seen one side of mine. I have so much more to show. (But) That is only possible when I get something new. I am (still) waiting," he confesses.

Does that deter the actor? No. He reasons, "Sabke saath hota hai. Industry mein perception ban jaata hai. Forget actors even directors face the same thing. If they have made a comedy film, producers don’t offer them a serious film. They want the director to give them a hit film. Industry aisi hi chalti hai. You need to convince makers. So breaking that perception is quite tough. But main laga hua hoon. I know what I can do. I am not a comedy actor. In fact. I don’t know how to do comedy. I have been lucky. I just know the timing. I am not a comedian; I am a serious actor."

While the actor is striving to get a serious role, one such role that he remembers losing out was late actor Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer Chhichhore. "I was supposed to get locked for Chhichhore. I felt bad when it didn’t work out. It was a good film, my role was not the comedic one. It was of a bully. That is the only film I regret losing," he signs off.

Rhea Chakraborty’s life has been dramatically altered since the death of her beau, actor Sushant Singh Rajput, in 2020. She has recently opened up about how she has been coping since then.

In her podcast, the 32-year-old said, “People seem confused about what I do for a living now. I’m not acting in films anymore; I’m involved in other activities like motivational speaking, which is how I earn my money.”

She also revealed that the name of her podcast reflects her personal journey. “Everyone is familiar with my ‘chapter one’, or at least they think they are. I’ve gone through many phases of different emotions and versions of myself. Now, I feel like I’m a newer version of myself, like a rebirth. I want to celebrate that with anyone who has a ‘chapter two’. It’s okay to start over and embrace change.”

Two years ago, Ankita Lokhande and her husband, Vicky Jain, won the reality show Smart Jodi. Everyone felt that they shared the perfect partnership. Cut to Bigg Boss 17 recently, their constant fights, heated arguments and even talk of a possible separation became one of the highlights of the show. Whether it was for real or something planned just for the cameras is what left the viewers curious.

In an exclusive chat with BT, Ankita revealed that the fights were real, but now that’s all behind them.

She said, “We are the same people on and off the camera. There was no hidden agenda. Whatever you saw was real…we fought a lot inside the house, but deep down, we both knew that we loved each other, so if there was a mention of separation, it is untrue. We will never separate, and BB issues are behind us now.”

She added, “Vicky may have emerged as the dominant one in our relationship, but we both believe in putting forth our point of view. However, I am the first to say sorry and finish an argument and maybe unki taraf se thodi der ho gayi arguments ko khatam karne mein, therefore, people felt that our fights were not ending. We may have had clashes, and there may have been strong statements from my mother-in-law because she was getting emotional seeing her son inside the house, but all is well now. My family and relationships are more important than what happened inside the house!”

During her stint in Bigg Boss, Ankita shared some stories about her ex-boyfriend, actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who passed away in June 2020. The actress was trolled for it on social media, and many questioned whether it was her strategy for BB.

Ask her about it, and she says, “People forget that I was in the BB house for almost three months. It was like home for me. I spoke about Sushant with Abhishek (Kumar) and Munawar (Faruqui). They look up to Sushant and so I was talking to them about the kind of person he was and the work he did. I may have stopped talking about Sushant publicly, but at home or with family members, I still have heartfelt discussions about him. Just like my fights with Vicky were real, my discussions on Sushant, too, were real and not a planned strategy. As his ex-girlfriend, I feel proud to talk about him because I lived with him, and I will always have many things to share about him.”

Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s sister Shweta Singh Kirti claims her brother “continues to communicate” with her. Opening up on Preetika Rao’s podcast, Kirti said she “continues to feel his presence a lot of times”.

Narrating an incident from nearly two years ago, she recalled, “I lost my AirPods, so I was looking for them everywhere and was not able to find them. Then, my brother whispered in my ear — I could hear his husky voice saying — ‘Your AirPods are behind the curtain. Go there; you’ll find them on the window sill’.”

This surreal incident, she said, happened about 1.5 years after Rajput’s death. The M S Dhoni - The Untold Story (2016) actor, 34, was found dead at his Mumbai home on June 14, 2020.

The friction between actor Ankita Lokhande and her husband, businessman Vicky Jain, who are currently participants on a reality show is making news, again. And this time it is Vicky’s mother, Ranjana Jain’s strong statements against her daughter-in-law that are creating a stir.

When asked about Ankita regularly mentioning her ex, late actor Sushant Singh Rajput on the show, Ranjana told ABP News, “Sympathy jata rahi hai lagta hai, apne liye. Sushant ko kya pada, woh toh chala hi gaya. Woh tha tabhi [payaar] bator ke le gaya. Kitne acche acche kaam kiye usne.”

Ranjana revealed that her family was hurt after they saw Ankita kick Vicky. “Hum Bharat mein rehte hain. Yahan toh pati ko devta samjha jaata hai aur tumhara toh pati sach much devta hai,” she said.

In an interview with Zoom, she revealed they weren’t in favour of Vicky marrying Ankita: “Hum log toh support mein the nahi. Ab woh nibhaane tyaar hai, hum ko kuch lena dena nahi hai. Woh khud apna grihasti sudhaarega. Hume vishwas hai ki Vicky sab kuch kar lega.”