Samantha Ruth Prabhu says people called her ‘second hand, used’ after divorce with Naga Chaitanya: ‘Absolute lies were spread’

Samantha said that she is in a "happy space now", and healed from her past. She said, "I'm very happy right now. I've grown so much..."

Samantha Ruth Prabhu opened up about her deeply personal struggles (Photo: Samantha Ruth Prabhu/Instagram)

Samantha Ruth Prabhu, one of the most talented and versatile actresses in the South Indian film industry, has spoken out about the societal pressures and judgments she faced after her divorce from Telugu star Naga Chaitanya. In a recent interview, Samantha addressed the issue of being labeled “second-hand” after her divorce, highlighting the deep-seated patriarchy and sexism that pervades Indian society.

“When a woman goes through a divorce, there’s a lot of shame and stigma attached. I get a lot of comments saying ‘second hand, ‘used’, and ‘wasted life’. You’re pushed into a corner where you are supposed to feel like you’re a failure that you were once married and now you’re not. And I do believe, it can be really hard for families and girls who’ve gone through,” Samantha said in an interview with Galatta India.

With her voice filled with conviction, she added that she has healed and in a happy space now. “I’m very happy right now. I’ve grown so much, and I am doing incredible work, and I’m looking forward to the next stage in my life,” she said.

Samantha also spoke about how she felt a need to slam those who were passing judgement against her and spreading misinformation during her divorce but she resisted.

“Many things were said about me that were absolutely untrue. There were many times that I was so tempted to say ‘this is not true, let me tell you the truth’. But, what held me back – when things were crappy and absolute lies being spread – I remember having this conversation with myself. ‘Okay, you’re tempted to come out with your side of the story. What do you gain from it? You gain a bunch of people who are so fickle. You tell your story, and they love you for a minute and three days later, if you do something stupid, they’ll go back to hating you. I wanted to resist that. Can you not live with the fact that your friends and family know the truth?’ I wanted to fight the urge to be validated by people. All my life, I wanted to be loved and validated. I decided to flip it,” she concluded.

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