4 min readHyderabadUpdated: Jun 25, 2026 03:45 PM IST
Samantha Ruth Prabhu used the success meet for Maa Inti Bangaaram on Wednesday to talk about a period of her career and personal life that she had largely kept to herself until now, describing the time leading up to the film as one of the hardest stretches she has been through.
“It was a very difficult and stressful time. I have seen the lowest, I have seen people cancel me. I have read thousands of comments saying I was done as an actor, and for a period of time, it was true,” Samantha said. She went on to describe the resolve that carried her through it. “I wanted to fight back, to give my hundred percent to this film. I was supported as well, to be able to give that hundred percent.”
She was equally candid about how uncertain the film’s commercial prospects looked at the time. “Honestly, I didn’t know if I could sell even one ticket. We recovered our budget before release, and anything beyond that was a bonus. What a bonus it has turned out to be,” she said.
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Explaining the actress’ ordeal, director BV Nandini Reddy added, “Samantha refused to believe that her film has gained positive response from the audience until a few days later. She truly believed only after seeing the reception in later part of the week.”
According to her husband Raj Nidimoru, Samantha did almost all the action sequences in a single take, as he appreciated her for being a good actress, and that he always believed in her skills. “This how ‘Ma Inti Bangaaram’ came into existence, we drew inspiration for the character from Samantha,” Raj remarked.
About love and marriage
Later in the event, Samantha was also asked to share her thoughts on love, marriage and relationships. “Sometimes relationships are complicated, and it is not always in your control. It takes two people to make a relationship work. What I have understood is that the most important thing for a woman to do is to have confidence in herself, to be complete as a person. Then you will find the right person,” she said.
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She elaborated further on what she meant by that. “If you wait for someone else to complete you, and you expect that person to complete you, it puts a lot of pressure on the other person, and that’s not right. Anyone who is in a relationship, or who wants to get into one, should be complete on their own first. Then a relationship usually works,” she added.
The remarks come at a moment widely seen as a turning point in Samantha’s career and personal life. She has spoken in the past about her diagnosis with myositis, an autoimmune condition affecting muscle strength, and about her divorce from actor Naga Chaitanya in 2021, both periods that drew heavy public scrutiny and speculation about her future in the industry. With Maa Inti Bangaaram now past ₹50 crore worldwide and Samantha having confirmed her pregnancy with Nidimoru at the same event, the success meet doubled as both a professional milestone and a far more personal one for the actress.
About the film
Maa Inti Bangaaram, directed by B.V. Nandini Reddy, was created by Raj Nidimoru. The film follows a woman who is an ex assassin and is pulled back into that world when danger from it resurfaces and threatens the family she has built. It was produced under Samantha’s own banner, Tralala Moving Pictures, alongside Nidimoru, with music by Santhosh Narayanan. The film also released in Tamil under the title Engal Thangam in theatres on June 19.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu at the Maa Inti Bangaaram success meet in Hyderabad, where she spoke about the struggles behind the film and shared her views on relationships