Amid dating rumours with Farzi & The Family Man co-director Raj Nidimoru, Samantha Ruth Prabhu says her life has been lived under public scrutiny: 'You're constantly judged for...'

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.

Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, the “The Family Man” 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.

“Anyone who has followed any little part of my journey is very well aware of all the personal struggles — the separation, my illness — everything has been very, very public. It comes with a lot of repercussions, a lot of trolling, a lot of judgment, and you’re constantly judged for being open and vulnerable,” she said.

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The 38-year-old actor, known for starring in Telugu and Tamil hits such as “Eega”, “Theri”, “Rangasthalam” and “Mersal”, said she does not believe in presenting herself as someone who has everything figured out.

“I don’t think authenticity is the final destination — it is a work in progress. I don’t have everything sorted, I don’t have my life sorted, but I’m able to speak about it. I am not perfect; I might make mistakes, I might stumble, but I’m trying to be better,” she said.

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.

“I don’t 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,” she said.

Samantha said it is important for celebrities and influential people to act responsibly online.

“At a time on social media when you have that kind of access, I believe it is most important now that we also be responsible,” she said.

As an individual, Samantha said she is very ambition but believes that ambition must come with purpose and responsibility.

“Ambition 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’s failures,” she said.

The actor also spoke about coming from a family with a humble background and becoming famous overnight with her debut movie, 2010’s Telugu hit “Ye Maaya Chesave”. “I 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’t know what to do with it because I think authenticity is the sum of your upbringing.

“And if you are not in balance with that upbringing, there can be turmoil. So I didn’t feel that I was worth all of this adulation and applause that I was receiving, and it instead of making me happier… it should have made me on top of the world but it didn’t.” The actor she found happiness when she used her “visibility to create value”.

“That is when I realised that I have found my purpose… so what you do with that visibility and the platform is what matters in the end,” she added.

Samantha, who wowed people all over the country with her performance in the popular track “Oo Antava” from Allu Arjun’s 2021 hit “Pushpa: The Rise”, said she took up the song to challenge herself as an artist.

“I did ‘Oo Antava’ 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 ‘bold role’. It was a one-time thing,” she said.

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