Explained | How Samantha and Naga Chaitanya's divorce became a political saga

Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya's divorce became a major trend on Wednesday (Oct 2) after Telangana minister Konda Surekha's controversial statement claiming BRS leader KT Ramarao's involvement in the divorce of the popular south actors.

Soon after Konda Surekha's statement went viral, several prominent personalities, including Samantha, Chaitanya and Chiranjeevi Konidela, lashed at the minister for dragging someone's personal life into politics.

Konda Surekha's viral statement

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Levelling serious allegations against BRS leader and former minister KT Rama Rao, she accused the politicianof tapping the phones of actresses, blackmailing, and his involvement in celebrities lives.

"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," the minister said.

Nagarjuna and his family react

Minister's derogatory remark that mentioned the high-profile divorce of Naga and Samantha drew a significant backlash.

Condemning her remarks, Naga's father and superstar Nagarjuna strongly reacted via a post shared on X, "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 criticize 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."

Samantha and Naga Arjuna have also reacted to politicians remark mentioning their divorce. Calling her allegationsridiculous, the Laal Singh Chaddha actor said that their divorce was a ''mutual decision.''

''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," he 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," he added.

Saying that divorce is a personal matter, Samantha Ruth Prabhu clarified that her divorce was mutual consent and amicable, with no political conspiracy involved.

"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," she wrote in a social media post.

She added, "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."

Several Telugu actors, such as veteran actor Chiranjeevi, Jr NTR and Allu Arjun, have condemned Telangana's ministers claim.

Konda Surekha's clarification

After her comments spread like fire, garnering a huge backlash, Surekha took to her X handle, writing, ''The intention of my comments was to question a leader's belittling of women and not to hurt your (@Samanthaprabhu2) 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," added the minister.

As a result of her controversial remarks, Nagarjuna has filed a defamation case against Konda. A copy of the defamation complaint has been shared by Chaitanya.

KT Rama Rao has also taken legal action against Surekha for her ''baseless and defamatory'' statements.

For the unversed, Samantha and Naga got married in 2017 and parted ways in 2021. Chaitanya recently got engaged to actress Sobhita Dhulipala.