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Samantha Ruth Prabhu reveals 'Oo Antava' happened in middle of separation with Naga Chaitanya, family was against it: 'Why should I hide?'

Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya ended their marriage in 2021. 

Samantha Ruth Prabhu reveals 'Oo Antava' happened in middle of separation with Naga Chaitanya, family was against it: 'Why should I hide?'
A still from Pushpa: The Rise.

Last Updated: 02.21 PM, Mar 29, 2023

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Telugu actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu is now waiting for the release of Shaakuntalam . While promoting the film, Samantha reflected on the challenges she faced in the last few years, including her marriage to Naga Chaitanya. For the first time, she revealed that when she offered the smash hit 'Oo Antava' dance number from Pushpa: The Rise, starring Telugu superstar Allu Arjun, she was going through a breakup. 

Worried about the optics, her well-wishers and the family members advised against doing the dance number, which is crudely called "an item number." 

“When I was offered ‘O Antava’, it was in the middle of the separation (from Naga Chaitanya). After the announcement came, every well-wisher and every family member was like ‘You will sit at home, you will not do an item song just after you have announced the separation. Even my friends, who usually encourage me to challenge myself, told me, ‘No. Do not do an item song’. But I was like, ‘Ok, I am doing it," she said in an interview with Miss Malini. 

In a career spanning over a decade, Samantha steered clear of such special dance numbers. However, when she offered ‘O Antava', which was a scathing indictment of the problematic male gaze and hypocrisy that preaches modesty to women and gives a free pass to men, she went against all the advice and signed up for it. 

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“I just thought, ‘why should I hide?’ I did not do anything wrong. I was not going to wait for all of the trolling, abuse and hate to go away and slowly creep back in like someone who committed a crime. I was not going to do that. I gave my marriage 100%, it did not work out. But, I was not going to beat myself up and feel guilty for something I didn’t do. I loved the lyrics of the song. I loved how the character was positioned. For me, it was just another character I was playing,” Samantha added.

‘O Antava' became a smash hit across the country and it also became a milestone in Samantha's career. Her dance performance played a significant role in spreading the popularity of this Telugu movie in new territories across the country.  

Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya got married in 2017 in a grand ceremony after dating for several years. Their marriage was highly publicized and admired by their fans.

However, in September 2021, there were reports of trouble in their marriage, and rumours started circulating about their potential separation. Later, Samantha Ruth Prabhu confirmed their separation on social media and announced that they had decided to end their marriage.

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