Not breakup with Naga Chaitanya, but another personal struggle left Samantha Ruth Prabhu without dignity: ‘I felt loss of identity…’

Not breakups, not even flop films, but health struggles were what broke a superstar's spirit and did a number on her self-esteem. In a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu admitted that her struggle with myositis, a chronic autoimmune condition, left her feeling vulnerable and completely without control and dignity. “I felt such a loss of identity when that happened to me. I felt like I had no control,” she said.

She also revealed how illness spares no one and cares nothing for the confidence you spent years building. “As an actor, you learn to build confidence in the way you walk into any room, and people assume you belong there because you exude that confidence. With the way you look, the way you dress, your workouts, your routines — it's carefully built. But when sickness happens to you... sickness really doesn't care how confident you look,” she explained.

The illness, she said, made her realise that while she had little control over the illness, she did have some semblance of control over how she responded. Her battle with chronic illness made her realise that for the first time in her life, she did not have to feign confidence all the time. She had to cultivate positive thinking too. “"It took me a while to understand that I do have control over how I respond to this. I don't have to fake confidence, but there are other lessons I need to learn, which are resilience, faith, and hope. These things are important qualities that sickness taught me,” she said.


She explained that while she does wish the illness never occurred, she thinks it did teach her invaluable lessons.

The experience, she said, brought about a major shift in her outlook and changed the way she understood herself, her priorities and the life she wanted to build.

One of the biggest lessons she took away from this phase was the importance of being more intentional about where she invests her time and energy. She began recognising that the time devoted to work, relationships, personal wellbeing and inner peace all carry immense value. As a result, she became far more selective about the projects and commitments deserving of her attention.

Although this approach has led to a significant reduction in the number of films she takes on, Samantha sees the change as a positive one. She has learned that having fewer projects does not necessarily mean having less. Instead, choosing work with greater purpose has allowed her career to feel more meaningful and substantial. She now wants to continue following this more deliberate approach, focusing on quality, purpose and personal fulfilment rather than simply increasing the number of projects she takes up.

Samantha is currently expecting her first child with husband Raj Nidimoru. She was previously married to her Yeh Maya Chesave co-star Naga Chaitanya.