Ram Charan slams Telangana minister over comments on Naga Chaitanya-Samantha split
Charan also stressed the importance of respecting privacy, especially for public figures. "Our private lives are sacred to us and deserve due respect. We are public figures; we must uplift, not tear one another down," he added.
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FollowIn a growing backlash against Telangana Minister Konda Surekha, actor Ram Charan joined several other prominent Telugu stars on Thursday (October 3), condemning her remarks linking Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao (KTR) to the divorce of actors Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Charan, known for his role in the Oscar-winning film RRR, slammed the minister for making "irresponsible and baseless" comments and highlighted that the film industry would not tolerate such "reckless behaviour."
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Ram Charan expressed shock over the minister's remarks. "The statements made by Konda Surekha garu are irresponsible and baseless. Making vulgar public comments about respected individuals is shocking, especially coming from an elected leader who holds public office," he wrote, adding that such slander threatens the social fabric.
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Charan also stressed the importance of respecting privacy, especially for public figures. "Our private lives are sacred to us and deserve due respect. We are public figures; we must uplift, not tear one another down," he added.
The controversy began when Konda Surekha alleged on Wednesday that KTR was responsible for the divorce of Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Her comments sparked outrage across the Telugu film industry, with actors and filmmakers expressing their disapproval.
Both Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Prabhu issued statements condemning the minister's remarks, calling them "absolutely ridiculous" and urging Surekha to be more "responsible and respectful" of individuals' privacy. Naga Chaitanya's father, veteran Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, took the matter further by filing a defamation case against the minister, citing damage to his family's reputation.
Several other stars, including Chiranjeevi, Jr. NTR, Mahesh Babu, and Vijay Deverakonda, voiced their discontent with the minister's statements. Following the widespread criticism, Konda Surekha withdrew her remarks on Thursday.
Speaking to the media, the minister explained that her comments were made in an emotional state, in response to criticism from KTR, the working president of BRS. "I had to criticise him (KTR). I do not have any personal animosity towards anyone. Taking the name of a family was inadvertent. I felt really bad after seeing Samantha's post," she said, offering a partial apology.
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