Q. Every actor will have a limitation. What do you think is your weak spot?
A. (Thinks)
When a scene does not convince me or when I don’t believe in it, I tend
to ham. My performance won’t be genuine and you can make out that I am
hamming. I tend to become dramatic. I need to let go of that. I should
learn to separate my judgement from what is required of the character.
Other than that, I don’t really have any difficulties with acting.
Q. That was candid. What do you enjoy doing as an actress?
A. I
enjoy challenges. I don’t like to get into a comfort zone with the same
kind of roles. I had good fun with Atharintiki Dharedhi as I have more
scope for humour. Comedians have the most difficult job in the world and I salute them. It is not easy to make people laugh, with all the problems and issues we have in our daily lives.
Q. Except you, no other contemporary actress takes social initiatives so seriously..
A.
After my illness, I’ve changed. Perhaps, God was teaching me a lesson. I
was a self absorbed person before that. I was always conscious of my
looks and my costumes etc, like any heroine. But after my hiatus, I
realised that everything does not revolve around me. In this
industry,one movie can make you a star and the other can bring you down.
I have been making conscious efforts to reach out and give back in
whatever way I can. You can’t take all the fame, all the money and ignore your responsibilities. You need to give back. I have changed that way. Perhaps, I am also getting older (Laughs)
Q. You literally have an army of fans,just like the top star heroes. How do you feel?
A.
(Smiles) I would not call them fans. They are like my friends. I am
really proud of them. They have good values, they are well educated and
they work in good professions. They are very frank with me and they keep
giving me realistic feedback. If they don’t like how I look, they tell
me. I do listen to them and make changes based on what they say. They
are a part of my life, just like I am a part of theirs.
Q. Are you deeply religious?
A. No. But I am not an atheist either. I pray once
in a while and I believe in God. I think when you believe in a God, it
is easier to maintain self control and discipline. You don’t let go so
easily.
Q. Apart from films, what do you enjoy?
A.
Some people might call me boring (Laughs). I love chilling out in loose
clothes and old T shirts. I love sitting around and watching TV. I love
not doing anything (Smiles). I like political dramas and documentaries. I
hate loud places and loud music. I need to hear the other person when
they are talking and I hate screaming. I love food and enjoy to eat. That is one of the things that makes me so happy. Right now, I am obsessed with Haleem (laughs)
Q. Wow. So what is your fitness secret?
A. I do exercise. But I don’t workout to lose weight. I exercise to put on weight. (Smiles)
Q, How would you like to be remembered as an actress? What kind of a legacy would you like to leave a few years down the line?
A.
(Thinks). I haven’t really thought about “When I die….” (Laughs). Well,
acting is just a job. I don’t think a job can define who you are. What
people think of you is so temporary. If you want to make everyone happy
and make people like you, it is a war you can’t win. If I can make my
family and the people who are in my life happy and if they love me back,
that would be good. If I can live my life on my terms and if my kids
grow up to be good citizens with good values, that is enough of a
legacy.
Q. How do you deal with gossip? Does it affect you?
A.
Of course, it does affect me. I am human. But as I said, I am not going
to act for people to make them happy. I have a 9 to 6 job. After 6, I
stop acting. I become Samantha. I am not scared of gossip. I live life
on my terms. But here and there, I do get affected when I see something.
But it is not going to make me change anything.
Q. What is the best compliment you have received recently?
A.
Hmmm (Thinks). I don’t remember compliments too much, so I can’t say.
But I am very hard on myself when it comes to criticism. I take that
seriously. Like I said, I tend to ham when I am not convinced. Trivikram
gave me this feedback, based on his observations of my previous films.
Q. What can you tell us about your future projects? Any Bollywood plans?
A. I
am proud of all three films I am working on right now – Atharintiki
Dharedhi, Ramayya Vastavayya and Manam. I have good roles in all these
films. I will be working in more Tamil films next year. I generally
don’t speak about my forthcoming projects until I go to the shoot. I
don’t have any Bollywood plans right now. I am happy here.
Q. Who is your favourite director?
A.
I’ve been blessed to work with fabulous directors in my career. A film
can work well only when there is a good working relationship between the
team. Among directors, Nandhini Reddy, Rajamouli, Gautham Menon and
Trivikram are some of my favourites.
Q. What about your co-stars?
A.
(Gives a little smile). I am on good terms with all the heroes. They are
not my best friends or anything, but I am fine with them all. Among
actresses, I like Kajal. She has such an amazing personality.
With that, we wrapped up our conversation with
Samantha and came away smiling. Her energy and smile just kept lingering
with us. Let us wish Samantha the very best for her future projects. We
hope you enjoyed reading this conversation folks.
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