Samantha, Naga Chaitanya part ways

The two had tied the knot in 2017 amid fanfare

Tollywood stars Samantha and Naga Chaitanya parted ways on Saturday, nearly four years after tying the knot amid fan fanfare. In a statement, they said that the decision was taken after a great deal of deliberation. The two added they were fortunate to have known each other for over a decade and hoped that their bond would continue even after separation. They urged fans to respect their privacy.

Samantha and Chay first met on the sets of ace filmmaker Gautham Menon's Telugu movie Ye Maaya Chesave, which hit the screens in 2010, and soon became friends. They went on to act in Autonagar Surya and Manam. The two tied the knot in 2017 in a grand ceremony, which garnered a fair deal of attention. Sam often shared adorable photos of the couple on social media, which made the two the choice of the Gen Y crowd. Majili, their first film after marriage, hit the screens in 2019, emerging as a big hit at the box office. It featured Chay in the role of a cricketer with a tragic past while 'Jessie' played his caring wife.

Sam acted alongside Naga Chaitanya's father and Telugu superstar Nagarjuna in the well-received Raju Gari Gadhi 2.

Rumours of their divorce began doing the rounds when Samantha changed her Twitter name to 'S' and dropped 'Akkineni' from it but they maintained silence on the matter. In fact, Sam refused to entertain the speculation and said that she would address it at the right time. She also skipped a dinner organised by the Akkineni family for Aamir Khan, who plays the lead role in Chay's maiden Hindi film Laal Singh Chaddha.

On the work front, Chay was last seen in Love Story, which emerged as a commercial success. He is awaiting the release of the previously-mention Laal Singh Chaddha, slated to hit the screens next year. He also has Bangarajju, co-starring Nagarjuna, in his kitty. Sam, on the other hand, is working on Shaakuntalam, one of the biggest projects of her career. The A-lister also has the Tamil movie Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal, co-starring Vijay Sethupathi and 'Thalaivi' Nayanthara, in her kitty.