Samantha Ruth Prabhu once said she didn't even have money for food; read on

First Published | Apr 30, 2024, 7:08 PM IST

Samantha Ruth Prabhu, one of the highest-paid actresses, revealed that she often didn’t even have money for food. “I ate only one meal a day for at least two months. I worked odd jobs. And here I am today,” she added.

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Previously, the most prominent actresses in India were only from the Hindi cinema business. Things have changed, with Bollywood ladies usually earning the highest salaries. Things have changed now. Only recently have South Indian actresses caught up with their Bollywood counterparts.

One of them is one of the most well-known and wealthy celebrities. Her path to success has been rather difficult. We're talking about Samantha Ruth Prabhu. She is now one of the most successful and well-known actors.

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Throughout her decade-long career, she produced numerous hit Tamil and Telugu films. Her debut in an item song in Pushpa The Rise propelled her to stardom across India. Samantha received Rs 5 crore for her participation in the song Oo Antava.

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Samantha Ruth Prabhu was born to Joseph and Ninette Prabhu in Chennai in 1987. In 2022, when addressing to students at a university, she mentioned that her parents couldn't afford her higher education. 

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“When I was studying, my parents told me to study hard and I would make it big. I studied hard. I completed 10th grade, 12th grade and college. But then when I wanted to study further, my parents couldn’t afford it. I had no dreams, no future, nothing,” she was quoted as saying.

The actress also disclosed that she often didn’t even have money for food. “I ate only one meal a day for at least two months. I worked odd jobs. And here I am today,” she added.

Samantha became unwell for an extended period of time in 2012, forcing her to abandon two major projects. It was eventually discovered that it was an immune illness.

Samantha reported that the condition had reappeared in 2022, and she had undergone significant therapy for myositis. She said that, while the condition is controllable, it can be fatal in some situations.

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Samantha Ruth Prabhu married the actor Naga Chaitanya in 2017. Their marriage lasted fewer than four years. Samantha began using Chaitanya's surname, Akkineni, in 2017, but withdrew it from her social media profiles in July 2021, sparking breakup allegations.

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In October of the same year, the couple announced their separation and subsequent divorce. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, she subsequently stated , “When I hit rock bottom with a failed marriage and my health and my work were affected, it was like a triple whammy; boom, boom, boom. You know, people go down for far less than what I’ve had to endure over the last two years or so.”

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