Actor Nagarjuna has taken legal action against Telangana Minister and Congress leader Konda Surekha, filing a defamation case in the Nampally court over her recent comments regarding the divorce of his son, actor Naga Chaitanya, and actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
This development follows Surekha’s apology for her statements, which stirred significant backlash.
The controversy began when Surekha, the state minister for Forests, Environment, and Endowments, alleged that K T Rama Rao, a leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), was responsible for the couple's separation. Her remarks were met with outrage from the Telugu film community, who condemned her for leveraging the personal issue of the actors for political gain.
Nagarjuna expressed his disapproval of Surekha’s comments, stating they were intended to tarnish the Akkineni family's reputation.
Following the filing of the defamation case, Naga Chaitanya shared a copy of the complaint on his social media, amplifying the family's stance.
In her defense, Surekha explained that her remarks stemmed from an emotional outburst triggered by derogatory social media posts directed at her.
“Photos of mine were shared with captions like ‘who gave them shaadi mubarak.’ There were many derogatory posts which left me distressed, sad, and angry. I could not eat for a day or two,” she said during a press conference on Thursday. Acknowledging her error, she apologized, stating, “I should not have taken their names or mentioned their family. I felt bad after understanding how much pain it caused them.”
As the situation escalated, several prominent figures in Tollywood rallied against the minister, demanding accountability for her comments. In light of the mounting pressure, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) intervened, urging the film industry to move past the incident.
TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud remarked, “She has understood the damage her remarks have caused. She regrets making those remarks and has apologized. I am requesting the film industry to put an end to this controversy and move on.”