My work grounds me, gives me energy to keep going: Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu says she has nothing but gratitude for her professional life as it has kept her grounded in the past few years that saw her battling health concerns.

The actor had revealed in October last year that she was diagnosed with myositis, an autoimmune condition that can cause muscles to become weak. She and fellow Telugu star Naga Chaitanya also parted ways after four years of marriage in 2021.

"I think there is a lot going in my life in the last two-and-half years but my work really grounds and centres me. It gives me the energy to keep going. And, I usually don’t let things affect my work, unless I am unable to get out of bed, which was the case for the last few months.

"I am grateful that all the production (people) waited and they showed such support and it was very helpful for me to get to the state of getting better and going back to shoot,” the 35-year-old told star told PTI ahead of the release of her film Shaakuntalam.

Samantha, whose credits include Telugu and Tamil films such as Eega, Mahanati, Mersal, and Super Deluxe, and Prime Video series The Family Man 2 in Hindi, said the epic love story of Shakuntala and King Dushyant should connect with the audiences through its complex human emotions.

"With this film, there is intense pressure but I believe if the film is good, it will be accepted very well by the audience. It is more than just grand sets, great designs, costumes, and grandeur,” she said.

Shaakuntalam, written and directed by award-winning director Gunasekhar and also starring Dev Mohan, is based on poet Kalidasa’s acclaimed Sanskrit play Abhigyan Shakuntalam.