Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu has spoken about her dreams for women and their careers in the film industry in the future. Speaking at a The Hollywood Reporter India event, she said that the film industry makes women “fight for everything twice as hard.”
Samantha Ruth Prabhu talks about women in Indian cinema
Samantha shared how women adjust, sacrifice and apologise in their careers. “We adjust our schedules, our opinions, our ambitions so everyone around us is comfortable. And we do it so cheerfully and willingly that we don’t even register it as a sacrifice. Did you know women apologise nearly ten times more than men in the same situation? Imagine. Ten times more. So tonight I wanted to say this. Stop. I’m saying this with utmost humility and because I care. Stop. Because you deserve to take up the space you have earned. Credit is not a bad word. Ambition is not a character flaw. And taking a compliment with a simple thank you is not arrogance. It’s just the truth,” she said.
Samantha on her hopes for women in entertainment industry
The actor expressed her dreams for women in cinema. “I dream of the day when we stop calling stories female-led as though that is a category, a risk, worse, an apology… and we just call them stories. I dream of the day when the women on screen are as contradictory and complicated and human as the women watching them. Not just someone’s wife. Or the reason the hero finds his courage. Just themselves. Fully. I dream of the day when a woman negotiating her contract is the most boring headline of the week. And I dream of the day when safety on set in every sense is not a one-off conversation but something this industry builds as a foundation,” she added.
About Samantha’s films
Samantha recently commenced the shoot of her next film, Maa Inti Bangaram. Produced by Raj Nidimoru, Samantha and Himank Duvvuru, the film marks yet another exciting collaboration between Samantha and director Nandini Reddy, following their much-loved blockbuster Oh Baby. Samantha is also working with Raj & DK on Rakt Brahmand: The Bloody Kingdom.