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Samantha Ruth Prabhu is riding high on the success of her ₹100 crore action film Maa Inti Bangaaram — but the film will remain special for more reasons than one. In an exclusive interaction with The Hollywood Reporter India, the actress revealed that she found out she was pregnant when she was filming the popular Thassadiya song for the film.
"I was shooting for Thassadiya, and I had just found out. I had to go and do the steps, and I was having a little bit of sickness at that time. So, well, I guess everything just aligned," she adds with a smile. "I am truly excited, and really, I do believe it when everyone tells me, 'Having a child changes your entire life.' I think I'm ready for that change."
The star revealed that she had reached a place where she and husband Raj Nidimoru were okay with having or not having kids at one point. "Both Raj and I were okay with either. I was fine, and so was he. So, this was a surprise!"
While the actress prepares for a short break, her plans for production house Tralala Moving Pictures will continue. "I'm gonna listen to my body. I'm not gonna put that pressure on myself, but everything else still is live. There are films that we are listening to in order to produce, and businesses that are doing really well and need my time. So, I do still have my hands full."
The aim with her banner is to always focus on female representation, she notes.
"That's our focus. Our focus is to encourage new talent and to give everyone a voice. This is not a one-off film. We've produced two films, and we have many, many films coming up. So, this is something that we will live by, and we have already done so with both our films (Subham and Maa Inti Bangaaram). Both our films had very strong female characters, and all of our films in the future will have them as well."
The biggest empowerment among women is when they glean strength out of other women stepping up, she reflects. "The biggest lie that women are being told is that we have to wait to be chosen, and that we can't choose. We've been taught to wait for the right job, the right relationship, the right promotion... But now I think it's time that women understand that we can choose the life we want, what we want to stand for, and what we want to walk away from."
"You just need one woman to take one step forward, and the rest will follow. So, when I say these words, I intend to live by them," she concludes.
Watch the full interview drop on The Hollywood Reporter India YouTube channel later today