"My Heart Breaks At The Vilification Of Rhea Chakraborty," Vidya Balan Writes In A Tweet

Actor Vidya Balan has publicly condemned the "media circus" surrounding Sushant Singh Rajput's death and come out in support of Rhea Chakraborty. She maintained that "as a woman" it was heartbreaking for her to see the "vilification of Rhea," and appealed to everyone to "let the law take its course." She is one of the few women from Bollywood who have taken a stand on the "media trials" against Chakraborty, after Taapsee Pannu and Konkona Sen Sharma.

In a statement responding to Telugu film actor Lakshmi Manchu's tweet that called for the film industry to speak up against Chakraborty's media trial, Balan too echoed her sentiments. She wrote on Twitter, "It is so unfortunate that the tragic and untimely death of a beloved young star Sushant Singh, Rajput has become a media circus. In the same breath, as a woman, my heart breaks at the vilification of Rhea Chakraborty. Isn’t it supposed to be ‘Innocent Until Proven Guilty’, or is it now ‘Guilty Until Proven Innocent’!? Let’s show some respect for the constitutional rights of a citizen and let the law take its course."

Also Read: Bollywood’s Silence On Rhea Chakraborty’s Media Trial Is Deafening

Taapsee Pannu Responds To Lakshmi Manchu's Appeal

On August 30, Manchu had released a statement following Chakraborty's interviews with various news channels,

@sardesairajdeep @Tweet2Rhea @itsSSR . Wake up my industry friends... stop this lynching. #letthetruthprevail pic.twitter.com/5SCEX8Un8H

— Lakshmi Manchu (@LakshmiManchu) August 30, 2020 that "the media has made a monster out of a girl." She went on to say that while she wanted to "know the truth" about Rajput's death and "bringing" justice to him, she condemned the "lynching of person (Rhea) and her entire family without knowing the facts."

Writing that she was "standing up for her colleague," Manchu appealed to the other members of the Indian film industry to "wake up" and do the same.

Also Read: Taapsee Pannu criticises media trial, says let law do its job in Rhea Chakraborty – Sushant Singh case

@sardesairajdeep @Tweet2Rhea @itsSSR . Wake up my industry friends... stop this lynching. #letthetruthprevail pic.twitter.com/5SCEX8Un8H

— Lakshmi Manchu (@LakshmiManchu) August 30, 2020

Following this, Pannu had responded to Manchu's tweet, supporting her view, and writing, "It only takes to be a human to understand how wrong it is to overtake judiciary to convict someone who isn’t proven guilty."

Film Industry Members Condemn How "Irresponsibly" Media Is Covering Rhea

Chakraborty is currently being questioned by the CBI in relation to her late boyfriend Rajput's death on June 14. His father, KK Singh, had filed an FIR in Patna accusing Chakraborty of "abetment to suicide" of his son, and her family of laundering money worth Rs 15 crore. The Supreme Court had given its go-ahead for a CBI investigation on August 19.

Also Read: Does Media Have Any Right To Pronounce Rhea Chakraborty Guilty?

Since then, several have criticised the Indian news media's handling of Rajput's case, with many film industry members strongly criticising the media trial Chakraborty is being put through. Actor Konkona Sen Sharma shared a video of reporters outside Chakraborty's residence, writing, "I am appalled at how irresponsibly media is ‘covering’ Rhea Chakravarty."

Meanwhile, actor Swara Bhasker wrote in a tweet, "Does it seem like Rhea is being framed?"