Telugu film industry unites to condemn Konda Surekha's remarks on Akkineni family, Nagarjuna lodges defamation case

Hyderabad: The entire Telugu film industry, right from Megastar Chiranjeevi to Mahesh Babu, stood in solidarity with the Akkineni--Nagarjuna family as they condemned the remarks by Telangana's forest minister Konda Surekha.

On Wednesday, Surekha said that BRS working president KT Rama Rao was behind the divorce of actors Naga Chaitanya and Samanth Ruth Prabhu, and that Chaitanya's father Nagarjuna forced the divorce.

On Thursday, minister Surekha said those remarks were rolled out in response to BRS working president K T Rama Rao's recent remarks against her and refused to offer any apology to him. However, she offered regret over her remarks against the Akkineni-Nagarjuna family and chose to withdraw her words.

Nagarjuna approached Namaplly Court, where he filed a criminal defamation case against Surekha. Telangana PCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Gowd said in a video message that Surekha has unconditionally withdrawn her remarks and appealed to film industry representatives to end the dispute amicably, noting that women are involved on both sides.

Nagarjuna's wife Amala had asked Congress leader Rahu Gandhi to restrain his leaders. “Shocked to hear a woman minister turn into a demon, conjuring evil fiction allegations, preying on decent citizens as fuel for a political war. Madam Minister, do you rely on and believe people with no decency to feed you utterly scandalous stories about my husband without an iota of shame or truth? This is really shameful. If leaders lower themselves into the gutter and behave like criminals, what will happen to our country? Mr Rahul Gandhiji, if you believe in human decency, please restrain your politicians and make your minister retract her venomous statements with an apology to my family. Protect the citizens of this country,” Amala said in a post on social media tagging Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi.

Chiranjeevi said Surekha's remarks had pained him and were disgraceful. “I am extremely pained to see the disgraceful remarks made by an honourable woman minister. It is a shame that celebrities and members of the film fraternity become soft targets as they provide instant reach and attention. We as the film industry stand united in opposing such vicious verbal assaults on our members. No one should stoop to this level for scoring political points by dragging unconnected people and more so women into their political slugfest and make distasteful fictional allegations,” said Chiranjeevi.

He further said, “We choose our leaders to make the society a better place to live in and not contaminate it by lowering the discourse. Politicians and people in honourable positions should set better examples. Trust the concerned will make amends and withdraw these malicious remarks immediately.”

Tollywood super star Mahesh Babu said Surekha's comments were unacceptable. “Extremely pained by the comments made by minister Konda Surekha Garu on fellow members of our film fraternity. As a father of a daughter, as a husband to a wife, and as a son to a mother, I am deeply anguished by the unacceptable remarks and language used by a woman minister on another woman."

"Freedom of speech can be exercised as long as it does not hurt others’ sentiments. I strongly condemn the cheap and baseless comments made and request people in the public domain to refrain from making the film fraternity a soft target. The women of our country and our film fraternity should be treated with utmost respect and dignity,” Mahesh Babu added.