"I implore you to be responsible and respectful."
In 2021, Samantha Ruth Prabhu divorced Naga Chaitanya after four years of marriage.
Their separation was highly publicised as they are two of the leading stars of the South Indian film industry.
The Telangana Minister Konda Surekha recently made some claims about the couple’s divorce.
The minister alleged that the separation involved a political conspiracy, and she linked the divorce to Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader KT Rama Rao.
Surekha said: “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.”
Taking to X, Samantha Ruth Prabhu slammed Surekha for her comments. The actress wrote:
“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 and to fall out of love, to still stand up and fight, 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.”
Chaitanya also wrote a statement on X where he called Surekha out for her claims.
He stated: “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 gossip 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.”
Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Chaitanya were not the only ones to voice their backlash at the incident.
Their colleagues from the industry also slammed Surekha for her words.
Jr NTR said: “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.
“We will not sit quietly while others make baseless allegations against us.
“We should rise above this and maintain respect for each other’s boundaries.
“Let’s ensure our society does not normalise such reckless behaviour in democratic India.”
Konda Suruekha 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…
— Jr NTR (@tarak9999) October 2, 2024
Nani also showed his disgust, writing: “Disgusting to see politicians thinking that they can get away talking any kind of nonsense.
“When your words can be so irresponsible, it’s stupid of us to expect that you will have any responsibility for your people.
“It’s not just about actors or cinema. This is not about any political party.
“It is not okay for someone in such a respectable position to talk such utter baseless rubbish in front of the media and think that it is okay.
“We all should condemn such practice which will reflect poorly on our society.”
Disgusting to see politicians thinking that they can get away talking any kind of nonsense. When your words can be so irresponsible it’s stupid of us to expect that you will have any responsibility for your people. It’s not just about actors or cinema. This is not abt any…
— Nani (@NameisNani) October 2, 2024
Chaitanya’s father, the veteran actor Nagarjuna Akkineni, said: “I strongly condemn the comments of the Honorable Minister, Mrs Konda Surekha.
“Don’t use the lives of movie stars who stay away from politics to criticise your opponents.
“Please respect other people’s privacy. As a woman in a responsible position, your comments and accusations against our family are completely irrelevant and false.
“I request you to withdraw your comments immediately.”
In response to the backlash, Surekha issued an apology to Samantha.
She said: “My comments are meant to question a leader’s belittling of women and not to hurt your sentiments.
“The way you have grown up with self-power is not only an admiration for me but also an ideal.
“If you or your fans are offended by my comments, I unconditionally retract my comments. Don’t think otherwise.”
Meanwhile, on the work front, Samantha Ruth Prabhu was last seen in the Telugu film Kushi (2023).
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