Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu celebrated the first day of Navaratri at the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, where she was seen praying and sharing pictures from her visit. This temple outing follows controversial comments made by Telangana minister Konda Surekha regarding Samantha’s divorce from her ex-husband Naga Chaitanya. In response, Samantha issued a statement requesting that Surekha refrain from discussing her personal life and keep her name out of political disputes.

On October 3, the inaugural day of Navaratri 2024, Samantha expressed her gratitude in a post, saying, "I took your word for it. Thank you, Devi! Happy Navaratri to all of you" (sic). She was dressed in an all-red outfit during her temple visit and appears to be spending a few days in Coimbatore.

The controversy erupted when Konda Surekha suggested that Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao, also known as KTR, was responsible for Samantha’s divorce. In her statement, Samantha emphasized that her divorce is a personal matter and urged the minister to stop commenting on it. She reiterated her apolitical stance and called for her name to be excluded from political discussions.

Following Surekha's remarks, both Naga Chaitanya and his family, including actor Nagarjuna, condemned her comments. Nagarjuna even took legal action against Surekha for her derogatory statements about the Akkineni family. Prominent figures in the Telugu film industry, such as Chiranjeevi, Mahesh Babu, Jr. NTR, and Allu Arjun, also expressed their disapproval of Surekha's comments regarding their peers.