Samantha Ruth Prabhu addresses her year-long break: ‘Helped me overcome self-loathing'

Samantha Ruth Prabhu announced a brief sabbatical last year after the release of her film 'Kushi' to focus on her health. The actor, who has been battling auto-immune disease myositis for quite a while, is now reflecting on her decision, revealing why she felt it was right to take a break from work. 

Samantha opens up about her hiatus 

Opening up about her hiatus, Samantha, in an interview with Femina, revealed that it was one of the hardest but the best decisions that she made. "The stress of work, coupled with the condition, is not the easiest thing to handle. I’m really glad that I gave myself time to recover; I had been working for 13 years straight," she said. 

'I was able to heal' 

The actor revealed that she was able to heal after suffering her share of self-loathing and self-confidence at the same time. Explaining that she wanted to grow as a person, Sam said that she finally decided to go on a journey of self-exploration while learning to let go of her insecurities and self-loathing.

“I’ve had my fair share of self-loathing and really low confidence, but I’ve always strived to grow as a person. With that growth came a deeper understanding of my insecurities and self-loathing. I was able to heal by addressing them – not by trying to fix them from the outside, but by fixing the inner trauma that needed more healing than any external quick fix," the 'Shaakunthalam' actor added. 

'Open for constructive criticism'

The break has helped Samantha be wary of slanderous criticism and overwhelming praise. “Sometimes, being an actor makes your world very small and closed; there tends to be a group of ‘yes’ people around you who don’t usually tell you what is on their mind,” she said. She says now she can differentiate between trolling and constructive criticism. “I keep my eyes and ears open for constructive criticism, which I think is important for me as an actor and as a human being,” she said.

Samantha's work front 

Workwise, Samantha will next be seen in the Indian adaptation of 'Citadel' with Varun Dhawan. Speaking about her role in the much-anticipated series helmed by Raj & DK, the actor said, “Honey has been the most fulfilling role of my life. I’m proud of what I was able to do with that role, given the circumstances. I think that it could be my best work yet."

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