Samantha Ruth Prabhu on repurposing her wedding gown after divorce with Naga Chaitanya: Initially it hurt, it wasn't revenge

Samantha Ruth Prabhu, in a recent interview, opened up about her experiences of dealing with societal judgments following her divorce from actor Naga Chaitanya. She shared how being labeled as “second-hand” and “used” deeply affected her and discussed her decision to redesign her wedding gown as a symbol of empowerment.

In an interview with Galatta India, Samantha revealed the stigma and shame attached to divorce, especially for women. She shared, “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 this.”

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Samantha and Naga Chaitanya had announced their separation days before their fifth wedding anniversary, a decision that took the public and their fans by surprise. Reflecting on her journey, Samantha admitted that navigating life after the divorce was emotionally challenging but also transformative. “Initially, it really hurt,” she said. “The reason why I repurposed my wedding gown was that I decided to flip it. I decided to own it. I am separated; I’m divorced. Things haven’t been a fairytale. But that does not mean I sit in a corner, cry about it, and never ever have the courage to live again.”

Elaborating on her decision, Samantha clarified that it was not an act of revenge or an elaborate gesture. “It wasn’t any kind of revenge or anything. It really wasn’t a ginormous gesture. It was that—yes, it has happened. I know it and I can’t hide from it. This doesn’t mean my life ends there. It begins where it ends.”

The actor also touched upon her growth and healing process after the divorce. Samantha said, “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.”

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Addressing rumors and misinformation that surrounded her during the divorce, Samantha recalled how she was often tempted to speak out but decided against it. “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.”

She emphasized her resolve to move on without seeking external validation. “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.

On the professional front, Samantha was last seen in Prime Video’s Citadel: Honey Bunny. The actor is currently shooting for her upcoming Telugu film, with further details expected to be announced soon.