New Delhi, 3 Oct

Former actor couple Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya hit back at Telangana minister Konda Surekha after her remarks that senior BRS leader KT Ramarao was responsible for their divorce, saying her claims are "false" and their decision to part ways was "mutual".

On her Instagram Story, Samantha wrote there was "no political conspiracy" behind her split with Chaitanya, which was announced in 2021. In his note shared on X, Chaitanya said the divorce was one of the "most painful and unfortunate" of his life's decisions, and that Surekha's claims were "ridiculous".

Samantha, known for web series "The Family Man 2" and films "Theri", and "Eega", implored Surekha 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," she wrote on Wednesday night.

Talking to reporters here, Congress leader Surekha, the minister for environment, forests and endowments, alleged that "KTR (Rama Rao) was the reason behind the divorce of Naga Chaitanya and Samantha." KTR sent a legal notice to Surekha, demanding an apology from her.

In her post, Samantha asked Surekha to understand the "significant weight" her words carry as a minister. "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," she added.

Chaitanya, in the note on X, recalled that a mutual decision was made by him and Samantha "after a lot of thought". "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," he wrote on Wednesday night.

The "Majili" actor said he has remained silent all this while out of deep respect for her former spouse as well as his family. He recently announced engagement to actor Sobhita Dhulipala. "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," he added.

Earlier, Chaitanya's father and top Telugu actor Nagarjuna strongly condemned the minister's remarks asking her "not to use lives of movie stars who stay away from politics to criticise your opponents".

The former couple also received support from fellow Telugu film industry colleagues, including Allu Arjun, Jr NTR, Chinmayi Sripada, and Nani.

Arjun condemned Surekha's remarks, terming them "baseless" and "derogatory". "This behaviour is deeply disrespectful and goes against the values of our Telugu culture. 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. We must promote respect and dignity in society as a whole," the "Pushpa: The Rise" star said in a statement on X.

Dragging personal lives into politics is a new low, said Jr NTR. “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 normalize such reckless behavior in democratic India,” the "Devara: Part 1" star said on X.

Chinmanyi 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 wrote on the microblogging site.

Nani, Samantha's co-star on films such as "Eega" and "Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu", 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 abt any political party...  We all should condemn such practice which will reflect poorly on our society (sic)" he said.