Naga Chaitanya, Samantha Ruth Prabhu React To Minister's Remark On Their Divorce

Actors Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu on Wednesday attacked Telangana Minister Konda Surekha for her remarks that senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao was the reason behind their divorce and called her claims "absolutely ridiculous". 

Mr Chaitanya parted ways with Ms Prabhu two years ago and got engaged to actor Sobhita Dhulipala in August.

"KTR (Rama Rao) was the reason behind the divorce of Naga Chaitanya and Samantha...." Ms Surekha alleged on Wednesday.

Her remarks, however, drew a sharp response from Mr Chaitanya, who said the claim by the minister was "not only false but was absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable".

"Women deserve to be supported," he said in a statement on X.

The actor further said divorce is one of the "most painful and unfortunate life decisions" anyone can 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," he said.

Mr Chaitanya also said that "taking advantage and exploiting the personal life decisions of celebrities for the sake of media headlines is shameful".

Samantha Ruth Prabhu To Telangana Minister

Samanta Ruth Prabhu also responded to Konda Surekha and advised the Telangana minister to be "responsible and respectful of individuals' privacy" and leave her "out of political battles". Taking to her Instagram stories, she accused her of indulging in speculation, misrepresentation of facts, and trivialisation of her journey as a woman.  

"My divorce is a personal matter and I request that you refrain from speculating about it... To clarify: my divorce was mutual consent and amicable, with no political conspiracy involved," the actor wrote.

Mr Chaitanya's father and veteran Telugu actor Nagarjuna Akkineni also said the minister's remarks are "completely irrelevant and false" and demanded that she withdraw them.

"Don't use the lives of movie stars who stay away from politics to criticize your opponents. Please respect other people's privacy," he said in a post on X.

Konda Surekha's Clarification

As the issue snowballed, Konda Surekha said her remarks on the divorce of the two actors were intended to question a leader's "belittling of women" and "not to hurt" Samantha Ruth Prabhu's 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," read a rough translation of her post in Telugu.