‘I Love What I Do; There’s So Much Purpose Attached to It!’

It’s been 15 years since Samantha Ruth Prabhu entered the cinema industry. Here she is, both rewinding and looking ahead, with DC

Q Fifteen years! How does it feel?

Fifteen years is a long time — parts of it feel like forever, and parts like a blur. I’ve come a long way since then. There are films I watch now and can’t believe how badly I acted, but that was my only way to learn. I had no mentors to guide me, and I didn’t know the language. I had to start from scratch, with no connections in the industry. Everything was new to me, and I learned entirely on the job.

Q But now, you seem to be in a happy place!

I really enjoy everything that I’m doing. Although I work morning to night, it doesn’t feel like a job anymore — it feels like I’m doing exactly what I’m meant to do. There’s a sense of purpose attached, and I’m really enjoying this phase of my career.

Q Which among your past performances make you cringe?

Those were the roles where I struggled to fit into. . In the beginning, most of the glamorous characters didn’t feel like me. I was trying too hard to be like my fantastic peers — to look like them, act like them, dance like them. Looking back, those performances feel absolutely ridiculous, I think.

Q Do you remember your first film shoot?

It was Moscowin Kavery and it was with my best friend to date, Rahul Ravindran. That film feels absolutely a blur — the shooting schedules had long gaps, and I don’t remember much of it. But I vividly remember every single shot from my second film, Ye Maaya Chesave. The first shot I gave was at the gate, meeting Karthik for the first time. It was fantastic working with Gautham Menon, who knew exactly what he wanted and how the character should come across. That was my real introduction to performing in character — truly sinking into someone else for the first time. Not many films since then have offered that kind of immersion, which is why I’ve turned producer.

Q Looking back, is there anything you would like to change in the past fifteen years?

I’m not going to discount any of the highs, lows, achievements, successes over the past fifteen years. But I’m even more excited for the next fifteen. I feel more grounded now, more confident in who I am. I know my strengths, I know my limitations, and I’ve learned so much along the way. It’s time to put all those learnings to use. I truly love what I do. I’m juggling many things at once right now, but none of it feels stressful. In fact, doing just one thing — acting — for the last fifteen years felt far more stressful than managing the fifteen different things I’m doing today.