Actor Rhea Chakraborty has opened up about one of the most talked-about moments from 2020, revealing the story behind the now-iconic “Smash The Patriarchy” T-shirt she wore on the day of her arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Speaking to Variety India, Rhea recalled how the choice of clothing was not part of any planned statement. Instead, she said it reflected the emotional turmoil she was experiencing at the time.
Looking back at the day she reported for questioning, Rhea said, “My cupboard was a mess, like my life. While I was searching for what to wear during the interrogation, it popped out in front of me. It literally said this. I had never seen that T-shirt before. I looked at it and exactly felt that way. I felt a part of a very patriarchal society was targeting me in some way. And that spoke to me. I put it on. That's the day I got arrested.”
The image of Rhea wearing the black T-shirt quickly went viral and sparked widespread debate online. Many interpreted it as a bold political and feminist statement amid the media frenzy surrounding her case. However, the actor revealed that the T-shirt had originally been distributed as part of an awareness initiative linked to menstrual health.
Sharing what happened a year later, Rhea said she unexpectedly met the person behind the campaign. “One year later, I bumped into this guy whose NGO had sent me that T-shirt. That T-shirt was made by the NGO and sent to a bunch of female actors regarding period pain. He told me he sold 20,000 T-shirts because I wore it that time. He was like he wanted to give a commission. I said I won't take commission for this.”
For the unversed, the actress found herself at the centre of intense public scrutiny following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020. In September that year, she was arrested by the NCB in connection with a drug-related investigation and spent several weeks in jail before being granted bail.
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