Samantha Ruth Prabhu on Getting South Film Stars' Support Amid Online Hate: 'I'd Have Succumbed...'

Samantha Ruth Prabhu has expressed heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming support she has received from prominent South Indian celebrities, including Jr NTR, Ram Charan, SS Rajamouli, Nani, Mahesh Babu, and Vijay Deverakonda, following controversial remarks made by Telangana minister Konda Surekha regarding her divorce from Naga Chaitanya. The actress, gearing up for her upcoming project Citadel: Honey Bunny, shared her appreciation for the solidarity shown by the film industry during her difficult times.

When asked about the outpouring of love she’s received from her peers when hate thrown at her way, Samantha told Galatta India, “Of course, I have to, I must. I appreciate it and I recognise it. The reason why I’m sitting here today is because this group of people didn’t give up on me, and it is their love and their faith in me that has made me come out of this.”

Samantha said that this support was pivotal in helping her navigate the challenges she faced. “You know, I would have taken much longer. I would have succumbed to my situation. I wouldn’t have had anything to fight for, to come back up. And it’s because of the faith of the people sitting here that I am here today,” she added.

Most recently, Surekha stirred up a controversy by alleging that BRS leader KT Rama Rao was the reason behind Samantha and Naga Chaitanya’s divorce in 2021. “KTR asked to send Samantha in return for not demolishing the N-convention centre. Nagarjuna forced Samantha to go to KTR, but she said no. That led to divorce,” Surekha was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald. Speaking to media, Surekha also claimed, “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.”

Later, Nagarjuna filed a complaint against Surekha under Section 356 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). In his complaint, a copy of which was shared by Chaitanya on his social media, Nagarjuna alleged that the minister’s remarks damaged his family’s reputation.

Addressing how she copes with online trolling, Samantha shared an insightful perspective: “When I get a hate tweet, I try not to look at that hate as a reflection of myself. Instead, I consider what the person sending it might be going through.”