Women in Entertainment 2026 | Samantha Ruth Prabhu Delivers Powerful Keynote Address: 'It Takes Sheer Audacity For A Woman To Be In This Industry'

Samantha Ruth Prabhu reflected on the audacious realities of being a woman in the Indian film workforce at the recently concluded second edition of the Women In Entertainment gala, hosted by The Hollywood Reporter India (THR India), in partnership with De Beers. The actress was the keynote speaker at the event.

"It takes sheer audacity for a woman to be in this industry...I want every woman to get the applause she actually deserves for choosing this. For showing up again and again in an industry that makes you fight for everything twice as hard," she said at the event, which brought together luminaries, creators, and changemakers from across the entertainment landscape.

The actress touched upon the many sacrifices and adjustments women willfully take on to make others comfortable."We adjust our schedules, our opinions, our ambitions so everyone around us is comfortable. And we do it so cheerfully and willingly that we don’t even register it as a sacrifice. Did you know women apologise nearly ten times more than men in the same situation? Imagine. Ten times more. So tonight I wanted to say this. Stop. I’m saying this with utmost humility and because I care. Stop. Because you deserve to take up the space you have earned. Credit is not a bad word. Ambition is not a character flaw. And taking a compliment with a simple thank you is not arrogance. It's just the truth," she said.

She also reflected on the incredible ambition that brings women together in the industry till today. "No one chooses a career in Indian cinema because it feels safe. Job security? Hours? Scrutiny? Self-doubt? Rejection? That’s a thesis in itself. It’s personal even if they tell you it’s not! Every single woman who looked at all of that and said yes, this is what I want, this is where I'm going, that takes something extraordinary."

It's sometimes the rough patches that teach the most unexpected lessons, she added. "Good news is creativity doesn't die in hard times. It might hibernate. But when it comes back, it comes back different. Deeper. More yours. So I want to applaud every woman in this room who has been there. Who found herself saying, I just can’t do this anymore. And then wiped her tears. And did it anyway. That is not a small thing. That’s really everything."

Prabhu wrapped up the speech by expressing her hopes for the days to come for women in cinema. "I dream of the day when a woman running the show in front of the camera or behind it stops being a talking point and starts being just the way things are. I dream of the day when we stop calling stories female-led as though that is a category, a risk, worse an apology… and we just call them stories. I dream of the day when the women on screen are as contradictory and complicated and human as the women watching them. Not just someone's wife. Or the reason the hero finds his courage. Just themselves. Fully. I dream of the day when a woman negotiating her contract is the most boring headline of the week. And I dream of the day when safety on set in every sense is not a one off conversation but something this industry builds as a foundation."

The evening featured the unveiling of THR India Women in Entertainment Power List, recognising 50 of the most influential women in the industry today. The likes of Aditi Shrivastava, Ananya Panday, Anaita Shroff Adajania, Aparna Purohit, Guneet Monga Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Jyotika, Kajol, Kiran Rao, Mrinalini Jain, Priyanka Khimani, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Sonam Bajwa, Zoya Akhtar were felicitated on stage, as the event celebrated their impact across industries.