Samantha Ruth Prabhu is one of the most bankable names in the Indian film industry. In addition to being one of the most sought-after stars in cinema, she also made a hugely successful web series debut with Family Man 2. Samantha, who is currently promoting her upcoming film Shaakuntalam, recently spoke about the issue of pay parity in the Indian film industry. In an interaction with Pinkvilla, the actress stressed that she should not have to beg for equitable pay and that she is fighting hard for it, albeit in her own way. She says, “I am fighting hard, not directly...it's not like I am fighting to be paid equally, I want it to be a by-product of hard work and success. People should just come and say, 'Yes, we want to pay you this much'. I shouldn't have to beg for it. I believe that comes with an incredible amount of hard work."
Stressing the importance of pushing one's boundaries, the actress said, “When I put up this quote in my bio which says, 'Whatever your capabilities, you must stretch them to the limit and a little beyond' and when you are a woman in this industry, it's not just enough to stretch your capabilities to your limits but then you need that a little more. There's stress on a 'little more' because it's just that much harder."
Samantha Ruth Prabhu has always believed in keeping it real with her fans on social media. The actress, who was diagnosed with an auto-immune condition named Myositis in 2022, has been upfront about her health struggles as well. In the same interaction with Pinkvilla, she spoke about her health and said, “Yes, it is very slow and very arduous but I think my work centers and grounds me. The one thing that I was fighting hard to get back to was my work and I'm very grateful to all of the producers and the directors who understood what I was going through… No day is the same. Every day is different – there are highs, there are lows and there are really bad lows. They wait for me; they give me the strength that I need and I am truly grateful for that. It's the one thing that has made me want to fight and fight really hard is to get back on set.”
You can watch the interview here:
After Shaakuntalam, Samantha Ruth Prabhu will also be seen in the web series Citadel and the film Khushi with Vijay Deverakonda.