Nagarjuna introduces would-be bahu Sobhita Dhulipala to Chiranjeevi; netizens chant, ‘No one can replace Samantha’

Sobhita Dhulipala recently made her debut public appearance since becoming engaged to fiancé Naga Chaitanya at the 2024 ANR (Akkineni Nageswara Rao) National Awards. The couple attended the award ceremony where Telugu film legend Chiranjeevi was honored by the iconic Amitabh Bachchan. A candid moment captured during the event showed Nagarjuna introducing Sobhita to Chiranjeevi.

In the footage, as Chiranjeevi greeted other attendees on stage, Nagarjuna called for Sobhita and Naga, formally introducing his future daughter-in-law to Chiranjeevi. When Sobhita greeted him with her hands folded, Chiranjeevi was seen complimenting the soon-to-be-married couple with a perfectly executed gesture. They shared a lighthearted exchange, during which Chiranjeevi cracked a joke, after which Sobhita and Naga departed. Sobhita wore a light green sari with a coordinating blouse, while Naga complemented her in a blue blazer paired with black trousers.

Netizens Miss Samantha

The video went viral on Instagram, gaining more than 154K likes. While some fans lauded the sweet gesture, most comments were supporting Naga Chaitanya’s ex-wife, actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu. “Only Sam is the best..” wrote one Instagram user. “No one can replace Sam,” commented another. “I miss you so much Samantha,” wrote another fan, adding sad emojis. “Samantha 100% best..” quipped another user.

The couple got engaged in August 2024 after dating for two years, keeping their relationship mostly private until Nagarjuna shared their engagement photos on Twitter. The images showcased the newly engaged couple in traditional attire, with Naga dressed in an off-white kurta-pajama and Sobhita donning a soft pink saree. The date of their wedding is still kept a secret.

A week prior, Sobhita shared images from her pre-wedding celebrations, captioning the post, “Godhuma Raayi Pasupu danchatam... And so it begins!” The ceremony took place in Vishakhapatnam. The phrase roughly translates to "crushing wheat, stone, and turmeric together," highlighting its importance in Telugu weddings. This traditional ritual involves the bride and groom jointly grinding wheat, turmeric, and sometimes other ingredients on a grinding stone (raayi), symbolizing the start of their shared life, responsibilities, and preparations for their future together.

Sobhita represented India in Miss Earth 2013 held in the Philippines. Although she did not make it to the top 20, she earned several sub-titles, including Miss Photogenic, Miss Beauty for a Cause, Miss Talent, and Miss Beautiful Face. She made her acting debut in Anurag Kashyap’s Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) alongside Vicky Kaushal. Subsequently, Sobhita appeared in Hindi films like Chef (2017), Kaalakaandi (2017), The Body (2019), Ghost Stories (2020), and Love, Sitara (2024). She has also starred in Telugu films such as Goodachari (2018) and Major (2022).