In an explosive interview to a TV channel, veteran actor Sarath Babu opened up about his personal life and the allegations made by his "ex-wife" Rama Prabha on his conduct.

"I married the daughter of Tamil actor MN Nambiar (Snehalatha is her name) many years ago. It was my first marriage. The media calls some other woman (Rama Prabha) as my ex-wife. Let me tell you that we were never married. Our relationship has no name," Sarath Babu began saying.

Is it true that Sarath Babu married Rama Prabhu with ulterior motives? "I don't need to depend on anybody for food or 'bed'. I was born with a silver spoon. I have enough number of people who like me. I entered the film industry as a hero. She (Rama Prabha) never recommended my name to any director or producer. I have held my ground in the film industry for 40 years. Even (late former TN CM) Karunanidhi garu's son couldn't last long. I have stood the test of time because K Balachander garu introduced me. I had stardom even before I met her (Rama Prabha)," he said.

Sarath Babu refuted the allegation that he fraudulently amassed the wealth of Rama Prabha. "Far from me taking anything from her, the opposite happened," the veteran actor said. "I gifted her property in Chennai by selling off agricultural land, whose value now is Rs 60 Cr," he added. "I got in touch with her when I was too young to make the right choice," Babu said, sounding regretful. He described Rama Prabha as a catastrophic cyclone who caused damage to him.

Sarath Babu repeatedly blasted the media for sermonizing on his relationship with Rama Prabha without knowing the facts. "Nobody even knows how we met and how we ended up parting our ways. So, don't give pravachanams," he said.

If Rama Prabha was so selfish, how come he lived with her for over a decade? "I was so busy an artist that I would be shooting in outdoor locations for the most part of the time. I had no time to even quarrel with her," Babu said.

"Nobody in the industry has ever said anything negative about me. People like me because I behave well," he claimed.

Babu said that it's because of political apathy that his home district, Srikakulam, has remained backward. "The district is endowed with resources. It has produced luminaries. Yet, it has suffered backwardness," he lamented.