Samantha opened up about her early career insecurities and shared how she eventually overcame them during a recent event.
From her battle with myositis, a rare autoimmune condition, to the emotional toll of her divorce from Naga Chaitanya, Samantha has never shied away from talking about the lows of her life.
Recently, when the actress graced the All India Management Association’s National Convention, she opened up on how her definition of success has evolved over the years- from chasing back-to-back releases and brand endorsements to embracing stillness, gratitude, and self-care.
Samantha admitted that for years, she believed that success meant non-stop movies and brand deals.
The Kushi star shared, “The previous version of me probably had five films releasing in a year because that was the symbol of a successful actor… you needed to have five films, a big blockbuster, you had to be on the list of Top 10 actors. That was needed to be endorsing the biggest multinational brands. Today, I haven’t had a film release in two years, I am not on any lists. I don’t have 1000-crore film, but I am the happiest I have ever been.”
Recalling how she was battling with insecurities at the beginning of her career, Samantha said, “I was so fragile. Every Friday would change and give me anxiety, that someone will claim my position tomorrow, I would be replaced. My whole self-worth was based on the calculator of that Friday.”
The actress revealed that she now journals daily, invests in wellness ventures, and uses her podcast to share lessons from her healing journey. Through these efforts, she hopes to lend a helping hand to those who might feel as lost as she once did.
“God forbid they need it one day, they will know where to go for it. With my wellness investments, the idea is to not land in that state of helplessness which I once found myself in. I do not wish it for anyone else. Also, keeping a gratitude journal for one year changed my whole personality,” Samantha said.
The actress shared that her relationship with failure has evolved significantly over the past year.
She elaborated, “From someone who was always looking for what’s going to go wrong, always fearing how I am going to mess up… if there was success, I would forget it the next day but failure would stay for a long time. A year later today, my whole attitude towards failure and hiccups has changed.”
On the work front, Samantha has the fantasy-action Netflix series Rakt Brahmand: The Bloody Kingdom in the pipeline.
