- Rhea Chakraborty wore a "Smash the Patriarchy" T-shirt the day she was arrested in 2020
- The T-shirt was gifted by an NGO as part of a menstrual pain awareness campaign
- The NGO sold 20,000 T-shirts after Rhea wore it during her arrest day
Actor Rhea Chakraborty, who was arrested and sent to Mumbai's Byculla Jail on drug charges related to the Sushant Singh Rajput case, said her viral "Smash The Patriarchy" T‑shirt sold in large numbers after she wore it the day she was arrested. Rhea said she didn't want to set a trend, nor did she choose the shirt consciously. But the T‑shirt became a spokesperson of its own.
"I have never seen that T‑shirt before"
Sharing what happened before she chose that T‑shirt, Rhea told Variety India, "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."
One year later, Rhea met the person whose NGO had gifted her that T‑shirt as part of an awareness campaign about menstrual pain. He said he sold 20,000 T‑shirts because Rhea wore it that day.
"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 commission. I said I won't take commission for this."
Shibani wrote a letter about the viral T‑shirt
Shibani Dandekar, a close friend of Rhea, was the first person to tell her that the T‑shirt had gone viral.
"Shibani (Dandekar) wrote me a letter when I was in jail, saying people have been posting this T‑shirt, posting this quote. It was almost bizarre for me to believe that people were supporting me, because until that point there was minimal or no support. When she sent me a letter, I read it thoroughly; it was bizarre—why were they supporting me? I had just worn a T‑shirt. Then I realised that the T‑shirt resonated with people and they could relate to it.
"It was like the universe chose me for a moment like this. I didn't know and possibly I can't know," Rhea shared.
Background
Rhea Chakraborty came under heavy media scrutiny following the death of her (then) boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput.
In September 2020, she was arrested and sent to Mumbai's Byculla Jail on drug charges related to the Sushant Singh Rajput case. She was accused of procuring and supplying drugs to the late actor. The actress was granted bail after 28 days. Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra apartment in Mumbai in June 2020.