Mumbai: Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty graced Day 2 of the India Today Conclave Mumbai 2023 as the keynote speaker for her session titled, 'Rising from the Ashes and Finding Herself.' Moderated by Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, she shed light on her life journey, her return to showbiz, and the challenges she faced post the tragic death of Sushant Singh Rajput in 2020.

Rhea, currently a gang leader on 'Roadies 19,' reflected on her experiences and mental health struggles, emphasizing the importance of understanding mental health issues.

During her session, Rhea looked back at the period when she faced severe trolling after the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput. She shared her thoughts, saying, "I always believe that there are two sides of the story, and not everyone believed in that that day. Today, life has come to a full circle, and I am speaking to the media after 2020 for the first time. Because I think I wanted to and thought I was ready. But now that life is moving on, I want to move on, and nothing could have been better than the India Today Conclave. The new me is very different. I’ve been through a lot. I feel like an 80-year-old woman inside a 31-year-old woman’s body mentally at least."

Addressing the challenges she faced, Rhea stated, “Honestly, when I enter a room, I can see it in people’s faces. I can see people looking at me with pitiful eyes, thinking, 'How is she still standing?' while some others are like 'we are rooting for her, and she should go on.' I can hear the thoughts in their minds. Sometimes they are looking at me and thinking she doesn’t seem like a criminal. I can feel that thought at the same time. Does it matter to me? Absolutely not. I actually did not have a choice in that matter. It mattered to me; I wouldn't have been able to sit here today, talk to a journalist, or walk through my house if it did."

She emphasized the prevalent misunderstanding of mental health in society, especially when it comes to celebrities. Rhea commented, "The truth is that mental health is not understood in this country at all. We are making progress, and I am happy that the youth is talking about it, and India is moving on and talking and understanding mental health. But if someone is famous and has a mental health condition, people don’t understand."

Addressing her relationship with Sushant Singh Rajput, Rhea stated, “See, I could never know the truth about why he did what he did because I don’t live his life. But I do know the truth about him being mentally ill, about what he was going through. I miss Sushant. It is going to be very difficult to live the rest of my life without that friend, that partner, that companion."

During the India Today Conclave, she expressed her aspirations, including her desire to continue in Bollywood despite the challenges faced. Rhea candidly discussed her experiences and the emotional journey she has undertaken, providing valuable insights into the complexities of mental health and societal expectations, especially in the public eye.

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Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.

The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.

"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.

Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.

He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.

Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.

The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.

Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.

He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.