Hyderabad: Actor Mahesh Babu on Thursday, joined the list of actors condemning the remarks of Telangana Minister Konda Surekha, linking the divorce of actors Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu's to Bharat Rashtra Samiti Working President KT Rama Rao.
The superstar said he is "extremely pained" by Surekha's "unacceptable" remarks and language by a woman minister on another woman. He also stressed that freedom of speech can be exercised as long as it does not hurt other's sentiments.
Taking to his X handle on Thursday, Mahesh Babu wrote, "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 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 other's sentiments. I strongly condemn the cheap and baseless comments made and request people in 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," he added.
Read: https://x.com/urstrulymahesh/status/1841752300517290457?
A while ago, Vijay Deverakonda also shared his thoughts on Surekha's comment.
"Struggling to express in decent language my thoughts and feelings on what happened, today's politics, politicians and their behaviour. Just want to remind many politicians out there that we vote for them to look after us, to talk about infrastructure and investment , bring in jobs and prosperity, talk about health and improve education and facilities, help us grow.. We cannot allow or be ok with this as people. Politics cannot get any lower. Enough," he posted on X.
https://x.com/TheDeverakonda/status/1841784302071382538?
Earlier in the day, Telugu actors Chiranjeevi, Jr NTR, and Allu Arjun, among others, slammed Telangana Minister.
The actors shared their posts along with the common hashtag #FilmIndustryWillNotTolerate on X.
In a post on X, Megastar Chiranjeevi criticised Minister Surekha, saying he was "pained to see the disgraceful remarks" and urged "politicians in honourable positions" to set better examples. He added that no one should stoop to this level for "scoring political points by dragging unconnected people."
"I am extremely pained to see the disgraceful remarks made by an honourable woman minister. It is a shame that celebs and members of film fraternity become soft targets as they provide instant reach and attention. We as 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 slug fest and make distasteful fictional allegations," Chiranjeevi 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. #FilmIndustryWillNotTolerate," he added.
Actor Jr NTR lashed out at Minister Surekha in a post on X, saying "dragging personal lives into politics is a new low."
"Konda Surekha garu, dragging personal lives into politics is a new low. Public figures, especially those in responsible positions like you, must maintain dignity and respect for privacy. It's disheartening to see baseless statements thrown around carelessly, especially about the film industry," the actor said.
"We will not sit quietly while others make baseless allegations against us. We should rise above this and maintain respect for each other's boundaries. Let's ensure our society does not normalise such reckless behaviour in democratic India," his post further read.
Among other celebrities who slammed the minister's remarks were actors Allu Arjun, Nani and Khushbu Sundar and director Srikanth Odela.
This comes after Telangana Minister K Surekha linked former Minister and BRS leader KTR to the divorce of Samantha and Naga Chaitanya, accusing KTR of tapping the phones of actors and blackmailing them.
"It is KT Rama Rao because of whom (actress) 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," Surekha said while speaking to reporters earlier.
Surekha's remarks sparked massive controversy, with several BRS leaders as well as superstar and Naga Chaitanya's father, Nagarjuna Akkineni, condemning the remarks.
Nagarjuna Akkineni condemned Surekha's remarks, saying that she should not use the lives of movie stars to criticise her opponents, and urged her to respect the privacy of others. Samantha also reacted to the remarks and said that her divorce was a "personal matter."
Following widespread criticism, Konda Surekha clarified her remarks were meant to question KT Rama Rao for "belittling women" and not to hurt Samantha Prabhu's sentiments. She stated that she would "unconditionally" retract her comments if Samantha or her fans were offended by them.
—ANI