Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu said that she has ‘no expectations’ from the next year, as her carefully-laid plans ‘crumbled’ in 2021. She was making a reference to her recent separation from her husband of four years, Naga Chaitanya.
In an appearance on Film Companion’s retrospective on 2021’s best performers, Samantha spoke about the social media trolling that she is often subjected to, and tried to rationalise why this happens. She also spoke about the emotional devastation she experienced in the wake of her separation. Samantha and Chaitanya announced their split in October this year, putting an end to rumours that had persisted for weeks.
Asked about where she found the strength to put her foot down against the backlash she faced after the announcement, Samantha said, “I built it over the years. I remember crumbling and being sad. See, social media, I believe that stars thrive on the love of their fans. I am extremely grateful for the love and support that I receive on social media. It keeps the engagement alive between the actor and their fans. Personally, I like to share, and when I share, I’m also inviting these people into my life, and they are now connected to my life. So, if my opinions and actions don’t align with their worldview, it’s going to disappoint them. Yes, they’re going to troll you and abuse you, but that sort of disagreement happens even between friends and family. The problem is with anonymity, that’s what rears its really ugly head. My only request was, I don’t demand unconditional acceptance. I did not say that, I did not ask for that. But there’s a manner in which disagreement or disapproval can be communicated. That’s all I wanted.”