Mumbai: Samantha Ruth Prabhu has nothing but gratitude for her professional life, as it has kept her grounded in the past few years that saw her battling health concerns.
The actor revealed in October last year that she was diagnosed with myositis, an autoimmune condition that can cause muscles to become weak. She and fellow Telugu star Naga Chaitanya also parted ways after four years of marriage in 2021.
“I think there has been a lot going on in my life in the last two-and-a-half years, but my work really grounds and centres me. It gives me the energy to keep going. I usually don’t let things affect my work, unless I am unable to get out of bed, which was the case for the last few months. I am grateful that all the production (people) waited and showed such support and it was very helpful for me to get to the state of getting better and going back to shoot,” the 35-year-old star told the top news agency ahead of the release of her film ‘Shaakuntalam’.
Samantha, whose credits include Telugu and Tamil films such as ‘Eega’, ‘Mahanati’, ‘Mersal’ and ‘Super Deluxe’ and ‘Prime Video’ series ‘The Family Man 2’ in Hindi, said the epic love story of Shakuntala and King Dushyant should connect with the audiences through its complex human emotions.
“With this film, there is intense pressure, but I believe if the film is good, it will be accepted very well by the audience. It is more than just grand sets, great designs, costumes and grandeur,” she said.
‘Shaakuntalam’, written and directed by award-winning director Gunasekhar and also starring Dev Mohan, is based on poet Kalidasa’s acclaimed Sanskrit play ‘Abhigyan Shakuntalam’.
Samantha believes the story is still relevant and has a contemporary vibe to it despite its mythological origins.
“It is a movie that is rich in our culture. It’s been in our books, but at the same time, it is made in a contemporary fashion, so it is relatable and at the centre of it. It is a love story; everyone loves a really good love story. There are enough reasons, like the magical world,” she said.