Thursday, 03 October 2024
Thursday, 03 October 2024
Telangana minister Konda Surekha’s remarks, suggesting that senior BRS leader KT Rama Rao (KTR) was responsible for the divorce of actor couple Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya, have ignited a storm across social media. "KTR was the reason behind the divorce of Naga Chaitanya and Samantha...." she alleged.
KTR sent a legal notice to Surekha, demanding an apology from her. The comment, made during a political exchange, sparked reactions from the former couple and other prominent figures from the Telugu film industry.
Surekha's allegations drew immediate attention, leading Samantha and Naga Chaitanya to break their silence about their 2021 divorce, which they described as a private, mutual decision. The dispute escalated as more voices from the film industry, including Allu Arjun and Chiranjeevi, joined the conversation, condemning the politicisation of personal lives.
Surekha withdrew her comments on Thursday, after facing severe criticism.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu took to Instagram to respond to the minister's claims. She denied any political involvement in her divorce and emphasised the personal nature of the matter.
“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,” she wrote.
Samantha made it clear that the decision to part ways with Naga Chaitanya was made with mutual consent and no outside interference. “To clarify: my divorce was mutual consent and amicable, with no political conspiracy involved. Could you please keep my name out of political battles?” she added, addressing Konda Surekha.
The actress also spoke about the challenges she’s faced as a woman in the film industry, urging the minister to recognise the weight of her words. “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,” Samantha said.
Naga Chaitanya
Naga Chaitanya, responded via X , calling the situation 'painful' but making it clear that their decision was made peacefully. “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,” he wrote.
Chaitanya said, “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.”
Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya's father and a veteran actor in the Telugu film industry, expressed disappointment at the minister’s behaviour. “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,” Nagarjuna said.
He also emphasised that personal matters, especially those of his family, should not be dragged into political debates. “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.”
Allu Arjun
Allu Arjun in a post on X, criticised the minister’s remarks. “I strongly condemn the baseless derogatory comments made about film personalities and film families. This behavior is deeply disrespectful and goes against the values of our Telugu culture,” Arjun said.
He also spoke about the need to maintain dignity and respect in public discourse. “Such irresponsible actions should not be accepted as normal. I urge the parties involved to act more responsibly and respect individual privacy, especially towards women,” he said, using the hashtag "#FilmIndustryWillNotTolerate."
Jr NTR
Jr NTR also condemned Surekha’s remarks. “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. Let’s ensure our society does not normalise such reckless behaviour in democratic India,” the actor said on X.
Prakash Raj
Actor Prakash Raj reacted to minister Konda Surekha's comments. "What shameless politics... women who act in movies are small?" he said.
Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi, another veteran in the industry, expressed his disappointment, calling the remarks 'disgraceful.' He said, “It is a shame that celebs and members of the film fraternity become soft targets as they provide instant reach and attention. We as Film Industry stand united in opposing such vicious verbal assaults on our members.”
"No one should stoop to this level for scoring political points by dragging unconnected people and more so women into their political slug fest and make distasteful fictional allegations. We choose our leaders to make the society a better place to live in, and not contaminate it by lowering the discourse. Politicians and people in honourable positions should set better examples. Trust the concerned will make amends and withdraw these malicious remarks immediately," he added.
Nani
Actor Nani said, it's not okay for anyone in a respectable position to talk 'utter baseless rubbish' in front of the media. "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... We all should condemn such practice which will reflect poorly on our society (sic)" he said.
Chinmanyi Sripada
Chinmanyi Sripada said it's unfortunate to watch how multiple individuals, Telugu YouTube channels and media persons have been using Samantha's name to gain mileage. "End of the day all it proves is that they need her or her name to get the attention. Not the other way round. She will always be higher than anyone could even dream of touching with a barge pole," the singer said.
