"When you mention her name, my face lights up,'' Nagarjuna on his rumored affair with Tabu(Throwback)

Link up rumors involving actors is nothing new to the industry. There have always been speculations about two actor's closeness with each other. Some true and others a fragment of someone’s imagination. But there is one story that caught the attention of the whole nation. The rumor of a love affair down south, involving two of the finest on-screen performers of their generation - Nagarjuna and Tabu. Their story got a wholesome amount of coverage back in the day.

In an interview with TOI, Nagarjuna spilled the beans on why Tabu would always remain special to him and confronted the rumors about his closeness to her. He said, “Tabu is a fantastic friend of mine. Our friendship goes way back since I was 21 or 22 and she was just 16 years old. That's like almost half a lifetime... About our friendship, whatever said is less. I have nothing to hide about her. When you mention her name, my face lights up... (Laughs). It is as simple as that. Now, when I say things like that, if you want to read into it, then it's your point of view... To me, she is a beautiful person and a beautiful friend. She always will be."

Nagarjuna’s wife, Amala, had come out and addressed the issue too, in an indirect way. In a conversation with Mumbai Mirror, she had said, "When there are serious issues like the blasts and the flood affecting Mumbai, are people actually wondering about what's Amala's best friend doing in her home? It's really saddening. Nobody should bother what happens under my roof. I am happy."

And talking about her friendship and her family’s closeness to Tabu, Amala further added, "I'm sure even she must be hurt, but we never discuss it. Tabu is one of the persons, besides Danny Denzongpa, my Rakhi brother, from Mumbai who I am in touch with. And, yes, she stays with us when she comes here."

Even amid widespread media attention that the story got, both Nagarjuna and Amala maintained their stand. They found discussing such things at home was below their dignity. Nagarjuna said, "Yeah, I love my family. I don't think there is a life without a family. For me, that's the most important thing. My wife Amala is the anchor in my life. I don't think I can live without her, or do any of this without her. She is like my friend, my mother, my wife, you call her anything and she'll be that for me. And I have wonderful sons. I am very, very proud of both of them."

Amala’s take on it was on the same lines when she said, "My home is sacred, like a temple. I don't allow anything unpleasant from the film industry to pour in, especially such filthy gossip. I don't encourage such talks."