Early life and family
Samantha Ruth Prabhu was born to a Malayali mother and a Telugu father on 28 April 1987 and was brought up in a typical middle-class household,[3] in the Chennai suburb of Pallavaram, Tamil Nadu, becoming fluent in the Tamil language.[8] Commenting on her sense of identity, the actress has stated that despite her ethnic background she sees herself as a Tamil, as she was brought up speaking the language along with English at home.[9][10] Samantha attended and completed her schooling at St.Stephens Matriculation school, Pallavaram, and Holy Angels Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School, T.Nagar, Chennai. She then went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Stella Maris College, Chennai.[9] Samantha has said that she did modelling for earning pocket money, and that acting happened to her. In 2013, the actress decided to shift base from Chennai to Hyderabad.[11] In 2014, she bought a house in Boat Club Road, a posh locality in Chennai where many high profile people live.
Debut in 2010
Samantha's first release was Indira Productions' Gautham Menon directed Telugu film, Ye Maaya Chesave. The film, simultaneously made in Tamil as Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, created much anticipation prior to release, due primarily to the first-time-collaboration between Gautham Menon and composer A. R. Rahman.[12] The actress was signed up for the project in mid August 2009 and completed shoots across India and the United States, and the film was released on 26 February 2010.[13] In the film, Samantha plays the lead character Jessie, which was also the working title of the film, a Malayali Saint Thomas Christian girl living in Hyderabad, with whom the male protagonist, played by Naga Chaitanya, falls in love. Upon release of the film, Samantha received very positive reviews for her portrayal, with the film itself garnering much critical acclaim.[14] Critics at Sify praised Samantha as a "scene-stealer" and her beauty as "alluring", adding that "she was the girl to watch out for".[14] Jeevi, from the Idlebrain reviews site, wrote that "Samantha's debut is one of the best heroine debuts in Telugu cinema" and noted that the "minute expressions she gave spoke volumes about her", whilst labelling the film as a "classic". Samantha, alongside her co-star, Naga Chaitanya, also appeared in a cameo role in the Tamil version of the film.[15] Both the Telugu and the Tamil versions of the films proved to be grand successes, propelling Samantha's career into bigger projects.[16] She followed up her collaborations with Gautham Menon and A. R. Rahman by appearing in the music video for the World Classical Tamil Conference 2010 promotional song, Semmozhiyaana Tamizh Mozhiyaam, which Menon directed and Rahman composed.
Samantha's next release was the Sathya Jyothi-produced romantic drama, Baana Kaathadi, opposite Adharvaa. The film was actually the third Tamil project signed by the actress, but its release preceded the first two that she was contracted for due to delays in their completion.[17][18] Following terms agreed upon in early 2009, the film continued shoots for a year, and after several postponements finally released in August 2010 to positive response.[18][19] In the film, Samantha plays a student of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), the first such role in Tamil cinema.[20] Her next release was Ravi Varman's Moscowin Kavery, originally her very first contract. The shooting for the film began in August 2007, with Samantha, then briefly credited with the screen name Yasodha, joining the team later in the year.[21] The film introduced a host of new actors, with the music scored by Thaman, who was making his debut as a film music director. In an interview, much prior to release in 2008, Ravi Varman mentioned that he had decided that Samantha would be the lead actress for his film within three minutes after viewing one of her commercial assignments.[22] In the interview, he went on to describe her as an actress with "intelligence" and "potential", whilst drawing comparisons with the noted actress, Revathi.[22] However, due to Ravi Varman's prior commitments as cinematographer in other projects, the film languished in development hell, eventually releasing in August 2010.[23] The film earned poor reviews from critics unanimously.[24] However Samantha's performance was credited as one of the sole highlights that the film offered.[25] In August 2008, while still completing her last three projects, Samantha also signed up to play the lead role of a modern girl in the Narain starrer, Pookada Ravi.[26] However, despite the shooting following schedule at regular intervals the project has stalled since 2009, and the film seems unlikely to be released.[27] Samantha went on to feature in Vamsi Paidipally's Telugu film Brindaavanam in which she had a supporting role alongside NTR Jr and Kajal Aggarwal.[28] Her performance as Indu was well received despite the role having a shorter screen time than the ones she had played in her previous films, and the film became her second successful one in Telugu.[29]
Born
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
28 April 1987 (age 27)
Pallavaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality
Indian
Education
B.Com
Alma mater
Stella Maris College, Chennai
Occupation
Model, actress, Philanthropist
Years active
2007–present
Home town
Chennai
Parents
Prabhu
Ninette Prabhu
