Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya have addressed controversial comments made by Telangana Minister Konda Surekha regarding their divorce.
The minister claimed their separation was linked to politician KT Rama Rao.
Both Samantha and Chaitanya took to social media to deny the allegations, urging Surekha to keep their names out of political disputes.
As quoted by Deccan Herald, Surekha said, ‘KTR asked to send Samantha in return for not demolishing the N-convention centre. Nagarjuna forced Samantha to go to KTR, but she said no. That led to divorce.’
She also claimed, ‘It is KT Rama Rao because of whom Samantha’s divorce happened. He was a minister at that time and used to tap the phones of the actresses and then find their weaknesses to blackmail them. He used to make them drug addicts and then do this. Everyone knows this, Samantha, Naga Chaitanya, his family, everybody is aware that such a thing happened.’
Konda Surekha had previously made similar allegations about KT Rama Rao in April. For those comments, the Election Commission had reprimanded her with a warning.
Samantha clarified that her divorce was a result of ‘mutual consent’ and insisted there was ‘no political conspiracy involved.’
Her note read, ‘To be a woman, To come out and work, To survive in a glamorous industry where women are more often than not treated as props, To fall in love & to fall out of love, To still stand up and fight… It takes a lot of courage and strength. Konda Surekha Garu, I am proud of what this journey turned me into – please don’t trivialise it. I hope you realise that your words carry significant weight as a minister. I implore you to be responsible and respectful of individuals’ privacy. My divorce is a personal matter, and I request that you refrain from speculating about it. Our choice to keep things private doesn’t invite misrepresentation. To clarify: my divorce was mutual consent and amicable, with no political conspiracy involved. Could you please keep my name out of political battles? I have always remained non-political and wish to continue doing so.’
Naga Chaitanya described his divorce from Samantha as one of the ‘most painful and unfortunate decisions’ of his life. He called Konda Surekha's claims ‘false,’ and labeled them ‘absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable.’
His note read, ‘The decision of divorce is easily one of the most painful and unfortunate life decisions one has to make. After a lot of thought, a mutual decision was made by me and my former spouse to part ways. It was a decision made in peace, owing to our different life goals and in the interest of moving forward with respect and dignity as two mature adults. However, there have been various baseless and completely ridiculous gossips on the matter so far. I have remained silent all this while out of deep respect for my earlier spouse as well as my family. Today, the claim made by Minister Konda surekha garu is not only false, it is absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. Women deserve to be supported and respected. Taking advantage and exploiting the personal life decisions of celebrities for the sake of media headlines is shameful.’
Naga Chaitanya's father, Nagarjuna Akkineni, also took to X to condemn Konda Surekha's remarks. He was supported by his wife, Amala Akkineni, and son, Akhil, in speaking out against the comments.
Several celebrities, including Jr NTR and Nani, have also voiced their disapproval of Konda Surekha’s comments on social media.
Jr NTR took to his X account and wrote, ‘Konda Surekha garu, dragging personal lives into politics is a new low. Public figures, especially those in responsible positions like you, must maintain dignity and respect for privacy. It’s disheartening to see baseless statements thrown around carelessly, especially about the film industry.’
After receiving flak from politicians and actors, Konda Surekha has retracted a recent controversial statement.
Samantha and Chaitanya got married in 2017 and announced their separation in 2021. Chaitanya is now engaged to actor Sobhita Dhulipala.
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