From Controversy To Reinvention: How Rhea Chakraborty Built Rs 40-Crore Clothing Brand Amid Backlash Over Sushant Singh Rajput's Death And No Acting Projects (Photo Credit: Instagram, Canva Modified)
Rhea Chakraborty: For Actress Rhea Chakraborty, the past few years have been a journey of resilience and rebuilding. In 2020, as India mourned the loss of beloved actors like Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor and Sushant Singh Rajput, she suddenly found herself at the centre of public scrutiny. Amid that storm, Rhea stepped away from the film industry and began focusing on rebuilding her personal and professional life.
Her comeback began with her podcast Chapter 2, which later inspired the clothing label Chapter 2 Drip. The idea came from stories of starting over, people who lost everything and still chose to rise again. Rhea and her brother Showik shaped that belief into a brand now valued at nearly ₹40 crore.
Speaking to the media, Rhea recalled wearing a T-shirt that read “Let’s smash the patriarchy” on the day she was arrested, adding that her clothes “spoke for me when I couldn’t.” That sparked the thought of turning fashion into communication.
She also shared that both siblings had lost their career paths: “I stopped getting film calls. Showik had cleared CAT with 96% and was about to start his MBA, but everything stopped when he was arrested.”
Chapter 2 Drip launched online in August 2024. This June, the brand opened its first offline store in Mumbai despite Rhea’s hesitation about the cost. Showik convinced her that the brand needed a physical space to build a community and host conversations around “second chances.”
The label received ₹1 crore in seed funding from retail experts Kishore and Ashni Biyani, who came on board after appearing on Rhea’s podcast. The business soon reached a ₹40-crore valuation. Rhea said she refused “free equity,” insisting on building the company on real numbers and profitability.
Chapter 2 Drip currently offers:
The “indifferent” white T-shirt has already gone viral online.
Actor Rhea Chakraborty was questioned and investigated in connection with Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, but no court has held her responsible for his death. She faced intense media scrutiny and was arrested briefly in a separate drugs-related case, but she was later released on bail and continues to deny all allegations.
In a recent episode with Huma Qureshi, Rhea revealed she is not pursuing film projects at the moment, saying, “I am not acting otherwise. It’s over. But if you guys are producing something and need me, I will come.”
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