Samantha Ruth Prabhu reveals 'I was shaking with fear' during Oo Antava, says 'sexy is not my thing...I don’t feel pretty'

Samantha and Allu Arjun in the Pushpa song 'Oo Antava;.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu took centre stage to talk about her journey and delve into the intricacies of her career in a recent interview she has given to the media. Titled "Splendid Miss Samantha: From Pushpa to The Family Man, carving her own niche," her session offered insights into her endeavour to carve a distinctive path in the film industry. Among the notable revelations from Samantha was her candid discussion about grappling with her sexuality and expressing her discomfort in this aspect of herself.

Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

Addressing the scrutiny and pigeonholing she encountered due to her roles in films like The Family Man 2 and Pushpa, Samantha delved into her decision to do the chartbuster song 'Oo Antava' from Allu Arjun's Pushpa. She disclosed, "I think the decision to do 'Oo Antava' was similar to portraying Raji (her character in The Family Man 2). I think the good side of not having too many people around you, no people in your ear putting their opinions that you need to cater to. This is the good side. The flip side is, that I need to make mistakes, learn from them and own my gut instincts. The decision to do Oo Antava came from the place where I had to explore that facet of being an actor." Reflecting on the journey, she acknowledged the absence of external influence, allowing her to explore her instincts freely. Samantha said, "I have always been very uncomfortable with my sexuality... I have always operated from a place like 'I am not good enough, I don’t feel pretty, and I don’t look like the other girls.'"

Acknowledging the challenge, she recounted the initial fear she felt during the shoot, stating, "Sexy is not my thing." However, she emphasised on her growth both as an actor and individual by confronting such challenges head-on, by putting "myself in the most difficult circumstances and fight to overcome them", and likening it to "slaying" personal demons.

She was in the middle of her separation from Naga Chaitanya when she was offered Oo Antava. From family to friends, everyone advised her to not do ‘an item song’, but she mustered courage and went ahead with the foot-tapping runaway hit song, which also stars Allu Arjun.

Looking ahead, Samantha Ruth Prabhu is set to star in Citadel India alongside Varun Dhawan, under the direction of Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK.