Speculation over actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s relationship with filmmaker Raj Nidimoru has intensified after Raj’s ex-wife, Shhyamali De, posted a series of intriguing Instagram stories.
In one post, Shhyamali shared the quote, “Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.” An earlier story featured a message on detachment, quoting Ali Ibn Abi Talib: “Detachment is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should own you.”
Samantha’s Dubai post sparks speculation
The rumours began swirling after Samantha uploaded a reel from her recent Dubai getaway. Captioned “What I see vs What you see,” the video offered glimpses of personal moments, but one frame particularly caught the internet’s attention: Samantha walking hand in hand with a man whose face was not visible.
The unidentified man was dressed in a black jacket and denim jeans, carrying a black bag and a phone in one hand while holding Samantha’s hand in the other. Fans were quick to connect the dots, linking the mystery man to Raj Nidimoru, one half of the celebrated director duo Raj & DK.
Raj and Shhyamali’s history
Raj, who divorced Shhyamali in 2022, shares a daughter with her. Shhyamali, a psychology graduate, has an impressive background in filmmaking, having worked as an assistant director with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Vishal Bhardwaj.
Samantha and Raj’s professional ties
The actress and filmmaker have been frequent collaborators, first teaming up on The Family Man 2 (2021), Samantha’s OTT debut. They reunited for Citadel: Honey Bunny (2024) and are now working together on Rakt Brahmand: The Bloody Kingdom, a Netflix series.
While neither Samantha nor Raj has addressed the dating rumours, their outings have only added fuel to the fire — including a joint visit to Tirupati temple earlier this year. A few months ago, Samantha also posted a selfie showing her resting her head on Raj’s shoulder during a flight.
Samantha was earlier married to actor Naga Chaitanya, with whom she parted ways in 2021. Chaitanya has since remarried, tying the knot with actress Sobhita Dhulipala last year.