Samantha Ruth Prabhu on Thursday opened up about the challenges of living under constant public gaze, saying her personal struggles have often been scrutinised but she continues to embrace vulnerability and views authenticity as a process of growth and learning.<\/p>\n
Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu on Thursday opened up about the challenges of living under constant public gaze, saying her personal struggles have often been scrutinised but she continues to embrace vulnerability and views authenticity as a process of growth and learning.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, the \u201cThe Family Man\u201d actor said her journey has unfolded in full public view, from her separation with ex-husband Naga Chaitanya to her struggle with Myositis, a rare autoimmune condition.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAnyone who has followed any little part of my journey is very well aware of all the personal struggles \u2014 the separation, my illness \u2014 everything has been very, very public. It comes with a lot of repercussions, a lot of trolling, a lot of judgment, and you\u2019re constantly judged for being open and vulnerable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The 38-year-old actor, known for starring in Telugu and Tamil hits such as \u201cEega\u201d, \u201cTheri\u201d, \u201cRangasthalam\u201d and \u201cMersal\u201d, said she does not believe in presenting herself as someone who has everything figured out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think authenticity is the final destination \u2014 it is a work in progress. I don\u2019t have everything sorted, I don\u2019t have my life sorted, but I\u2019m able to speak about it. I am not perfect; I might make mistakes, I might stumble, but I\u2019m trying to be better,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The actor also spoke about the pressures of social media and how constant exposure to the lavish lifestyles of the ultra-rich can leave ordinary people feeling inadequate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there ever existed a time where everyone has access to how the top one per cent of the world lives, their vacations, their homes, their yachts. Someone in a village now has access to that information, and I think that can be really demotivating,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Samantha said it is important for celebrities and influential people to act responsibly online.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAt a time on social media when you have that kind of access, I believe it is most important now that we also be responsible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As an individual, Samantha said she is very ambition but believes that ambition must come with purpose and responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmbition should not just run wild. It should come attached with certain responsibility and purpose, and that is why I feel that is very important for the youth today to select their mentors carefully, because that can define their entire life. That can define how stable their mental health is, what they can afford to dream, what they can learn from other people\u2019s failures,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The actor also spoke about coming from a family with a humble background and becoming famous overnight with her debut movie, 2010\u2019s Telugu hit \u201cYe Maaya Chesave\u201d. \u201cI had nothing, and my family struggled to even put food on the table. And from my first film, it all exploded. I became a star overnight, and and there was name, there was fame, there was wealth, there was applause. And to be honest, I didn\u2019t know what to do with it because I think authenticity is the sum of your upbringing.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAnd if you are not in balance with that upbringing, there can be turmoil. So I didn\u2019t feel that I was worth all of this adulation and applause that I was receiving, and it instead of making me happier\u2026 it should have made me on top of the world but it didn\u2019t.\u201d The actor she found happiness when she used her \u201cvisibility to create value\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is when I realised that I have found my purpose\u2026 so what you do with that visibility and the platform is what matters in the end,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Samantha, who wowed people all over the country with her performance in the popular track \u201cOo Antava\u201d from Allu Arjun\u2019s 2021 hit \u201cPushpa: The Rise\u201d, said she took up the song to challenge herself as an artist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did \u2018Oo Antava\u2019 to see if I could. It was a challenge that I gave myself. I never considered myself to be sexy. No one was ever going to give me a \u2018bold role\u2019. It was a one-time thing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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