Hyderabad: Samantha is happy with her last film Rabhasa despite the film getting mixed reviews. “It has a big star cast and it was a good working experience and I like the director and the co-artistes. Also, I worked with many senior actors,” she says. About the mixed reviews, she says, “You never know which film is going to be a hit despite working very hard for every film. For this film, the director was not well for some time and there were also doubts about the film’s release; but finally the film released and it’s a great thing.” She adds that in any film’s success, the lead actress only has a very small part to play.
About her “Lucky Girl” and “Golden Girl” tags, Samantha says that these terms always add pressure. “I have said many times that luck is not constant. When I acted with big stars like Mahesh Babu and Pawan Kalyan and their films became blockbusters, my role was not a major one. Those films were successful because of the lead actor and the director,” says Samantha. “I am still lucky that I have been part of very good films,” she says.
“It is very difficult to maintain a success streak. I never feel that a film is successful because of me; I would be stupid to feel that way,” she says.
When a film fails, like many, Samantha too feels bad. “When I work for a film I get close to the team. So like the producer, I too become nervous about the film’s release… I am one to look only at my role and leave after completed my part of shooting,” says the actress.
“When I worked for Dookudu, everybody wanted the film to be a big hit and then there were huge expectations from the film. I too was scared. Then I come to know the records, superstar Mahesh and the following and I realized how much hard work and how much stress went behind a big hit,” she says.
After playing glamorous roles in three films, the actress will be playing a plain character in a Tamil film. “After working in all these commercial films, I have now got the energy to do a character-oriented film,” she says.
Rabhasa is her last Telugu release this year. “Yes, in the coming months my Tamil films are releasing and I have signed Trivikram’s Telugu film which release next year,” she says. The actor acts that from now she wants to be selective with her films and reduce her workload. “I would like to concentrate on more character-oriented projects,” she says, adding that her character in Trivikram Srinivas’ film is very nice.
When asked about the recent incident of an award-winning actress arrested for being involved in the flesh trade, she says, “From the beginning of my career till now, no one has spoken indecently or behaved badly with me. I have done 90 per cent of my work in the Telugu Film Industry and I have worked with some of the top directors and actors and I have never faced a problem.”
She adds that the Telugu Film Industry is the best place to work. “I believe that it is the safest place. I never travel for shootings with my mom, dad, sisters or bother. You have never seen me with any of my family members. The Telugu film industry is gold. I don’t know about other people, but as far as I am concerned it is a good place to work,” she says.
She adds that if she faces a problem she never hesitates to call her producer or director. “If there is a problem I pick up the phone and call Dil Raju Garu or Prasad or Trivikram Garu or Rajamouli Garu or anybody whom I know and they will be there. I don’t think that this is a bad place at all and it is purely choices you make,” she says. “I have seen both lows and highs in my career. I know the value of success and money. When I was young I struggled a lot as my family was below average. I know the value of money and I never forget where I come from. So I never let success get to my head,” says Samantha.
As advice to young girls wanting to enter the industry, she says, “Instead of doing facial makeover, do an inside makeover to become strong, make your heart very strong. You have to deal with a lot of problems and lot of situations. People have to think differently and let them think. If it is a school and a friend of yours is not good with you can ask her and make her a friend. But here you have to deal with thousands of people, which is not possible, so be strong in your heart,” says Samantha.
