Samantha has been on her toes, promoting her upcoming film Shakuntalam, even as she’s recovering from Myositis. We caught up with her for an update amidst her busy schedule.
“Shakuntala is a character that’s close to my dream of playing a Disney Princess. The role let me tick off one of the boxes on my list,” says the actress, in between a bout of coughing. “I’ll be coughing often during this conversation,” she warns us, as the interview gets underway.
From wardrobe to hairstyle to body language and gestures, Sam underwent a complete makeover for the part. “When the director, Gunasekhar Sir, told me the story, I was excited. The character was completely different from what I had played thus far,” she says.
The actress, who has played varied roles in films of different genres over the years, says playing the beloved character from Indian mythology was “liberating.”
One of the biggest values that Samantha imbibed from the character of Shakuntala was the ability to accept with grace and dignity even the most challenging situations. She found the grit and resolve Shakuntala displayed during pressing times a great inspiration. “Everyone goes through tough times and faces challenges. The true test of character is how you handle crises. And I think I have picked up that quality from Shakuntala,” reveals Samantha, adding that she employed the approach in her own real life.
Sam expresses her gratitude to filmmakers and writers who have given her the opportunity to play memorable characters. Describing her 13-year journey as a fulfilling one, Sam says, “It’s an honour to play different roles. From girl-next-door to commercial films to female-centric ones to now jumping on to action films, the journey has been more fulfilling each year. Films made me grow, and I feel I have come a long way.”
Initially, things were very difficult for her, she admits. However, with time, her interactions with people from different walks of life, the characters she played, and the films she was part of, made her understand the dynamics of the trade. “I didn’t imagine I would come this far and have this longevity,” she shares.
Asked for the reason for her longevity in the industry, she says, several people had catapulted her to higher and higher honours, starting with her debut film Ye Maya Chesave and going on to Eega, Rangasthalam, Super Deluxe, Oh Baby and now, Shakuntalam.
She had the opportunity to play meaty roles, she notes. “And the beauty is that each role is different from the other. So, my success is not just because of me, it’s the collaborative effort by filmmakers, writers and co-stars which has brought me so far,” she points out
When we ask Samantha to name some lessons she picked up from her journey in films, she says with a smile, “Oh there are many.” For one, she says she has become a better and more mature person. “My films made me a better actor and a better person. So my growth as an actor and a person go hand-in-hand,” she says, adding that she selected roles according to her situation at that point in life.
It’s common knowledge that Sam is going through a rough patch. We ask her to tell us how she felt when she was diagnosed with Myositis. “I absolutely couldn’t understand why it had happened,” she replies. “I have always been a healthy person and lead a healthy life, so that news was difficult for me to accept and process. I never thought that I would be diagnosed with such a prolonged illness. I thought it (Myositis) would be for a short period, for a few days.”
As she was going through the disease, she longed to hit the gym and sign films. “I realised then that you cannot control a lot of things,” reveals the actress. But she feels that anyone in the same situation would have handled it just as she did. “I am a human being, I am not superhuman, so I am driven by emotions,” she adds with a smile.
Apart from her family, it was her fans who rallied behind her during the hard times. “I couldn’t have asked for a better support system than my fans,” comments Sam. “Their love and encouragement made me fight harder. I have got the main adrenaline through them.” Her colleagues in the industry too were very supportive.
Sam may be only in her mid-30s, but she has already seen quite a lot in life – both hardships and laurels.
“I have realised that the greatest lessons in my life did not come from my films but from failures. I believe that I need to fail to learn many things in life. I ask myself ‘why only me?’ and realise that it’s because there are things only life could teach me the right way,” she shares.
