Being brave in the face of adversity is never easy. India went through a turbulent period in 2020 — the Covid pandemic brought the nation to a standstill, lives were lost, and the country mourned beloved celebrities like Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor, and Sushant Singh Rajput. Rajput’s death in particular shook the nation and triggered widespread outrage.
His girlfriend at the time, Rhea Chakraborty, found herself in the eye of the media storm, with many blaming her for his tragic passing. From relentless media trials to reporters hounding her family, and even her and her brother Showmik’s arrest, the pressure ultimately pushed Chakraborty to step away from Bollywood and focus on rebuilding her life.
As part of starting over, she launched her podcast Chapter 2 and eventually a clothing line inspired by it, Chapter 2 Drip. In less than a year, the brand has reached an impressive valuation of Rs 40 crore.
A second chance at life
According to Chakraborty, the idea for the brand stemmed from a desire to begin life anew. She drew inspiration from people who had endured great hardship and still managed to rise again. This philosophy drove both Rhea and Showmik Chakraborty as they built Chapter 2 Drip.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, she spoke about turning clothing into a medium of expression and carving out a new identity for herself. “When I was arrested, my T-shirt read: ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, let’s smash the patriarchy, me and you.’ It spoke for me when I couldn’t.”
She also reflected on how the controversy affected her livelihood and her brother’s. “When we went through what we went through, we both sort of lost our careers. I stopped getting acting calls, and Showik had scored 96% in CAT and was set to attend a prestigious college. But he went to jail around the same time, and by the time he came out, the first trimester was over – and so were his MBA plans and future prospects,” she said.
“It was at this moment that we wanted to create something that gives people their voice – something that helps people feel seen and heard. That’s how this idea was born,” she added.
More about Chapter 2 Drip
Launched online in August 2024, the brand received a major boost when Kishore and Ashni Biyani invested Rs 1 crore in seed funding. She recalled the unexpected investment moment on her podcast: “I invited them on our podcast for a chat, thinking we would just get some insights. But while we were talking and I asked sir for advice, he suddenly said, ‘You can give us free equity.’ I said, ‘One second – I don’t want to give you free equity, but we will give you equity.’”
Today, the brand is valued at approximately Rs 40 crore. The siblings have also opened a physical store in Mumbai’s upscale Bandra neighbourhood. Their catalog includes acid-washed denims priced at Rs 5,500 and T-shirts at Rs 2,500, all featuring an urban, Gen Z-driven aesthetic.
Chakraborty shared how the idea of opening a store initially intimidated her. “I didn’t even have the guts to open a store because overheads naturally increase. Rents on Bandra’s Linking Road are ridiculously high. We were doing well online, and I wanted to stay that way, but Showik found the space and convinced me. We were building a community, and a community needs a headquarters. We wanted to host events, meet people, talk to them about their Chapter 2. That couldn’t happen if we stayed only online,” she said.
Rhea Chakraborty recently mentioned on a podcast with Huma Qureshi that she has no plans to return to Bollywood unless she was required. Her entrepreneurial journey seems to offer her a more grounded and private life – in sharp contrast to the media frenzy she endured in 2020.
