After being diagnosed with myositis in 2022, Samantha Ruth Prabhu was all set to quit acting, particularly after her unpleasant experience while shooting for Citadel: Honey Bunny. She had become increasingly comfortable with her new life behind the camera when her husband Raj Nidimoru suddenly asked her to star in Maa Inti Bangaram. Originally written for Sai Pallavi, the film went on to earn Rs 100 crore at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing female-led Telugu film and surpassing the lifetime collection of Anushka Shetty’s 2009 film Arundhati.

When Samantha was convinced to quit acting

Speaking about what made her consider quitting the industry, Samantha told The Hollywood Reporter, “Once I took that break for a year, I felt like I wanted to do other things. I was also a bit scared because I was told to take it easy and find something else to do from health perspective. I took that advice very seriously.”

Wanting to take a step back from the physically and mentally demanding job of acting, Samantha began looking for things that were less demanding. “I was trying to find things that I genuinely believed in. I invested in many, many businesses,” she said, joking, “I am a serial entrepreneur.”

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Samantha said she eventually began enjoying her life behind the camera. At the same time, she was apprehensive about facing the camera again.

“Something about coming back to screen, especially because I was unwell during the shoot of Citadel and it was not a pleasant experience to go through… and I didn’t want the whole set waiting, and people’s time wasted. So I just thought let me produce Maa Inti Bangaram. I will be really happy to produce and be behind the scenes. To watch amazing films that I truly believed in and I had made peace with that decision.”

However, Raj had other plans. Crediting him for bringing her back in front of the camera, Samantha said, “He decided otherwise. I think producing with Himank and Raj and him being there on set, it gave me the courage. After a bit of reluctance, I agreed to do it. And I am just so happy that I did. Every single time he seems to have more faith in me than I do.”

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Samantha also recalled that she had once been ready to quit Citadel, but Raj along with DK refused to let her give up.

“I sent them the mail, but they didn’t give up on me. It was the same with Maa Inti Bangaram.”

In several interviews, Samantha has recalled how she would sometimes collapse between shoots, which affected her confidence and left her feeling guilty about making everyone on set wait because of her health.

How Raj convinced Samantha to star in Maa Inti Bangaram after three-year break

When asked how Raj convinced her to take on Maa Inti Bangaram, Samantha joked, “I think mostly Sai Pallavi saying no.” She added, “I knew that there is gold in this script and that this is something that women would like to watch. So I couldn’t really see this project not happen.”

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Although Samantha strongly believed in the film, she remained sceptical about how audiences would respond to it. The pre-sales numbers only added to her concerns.

She recalled, “I didn’t know if I could sell even a single ticket because I hadn’t had a movie release in three years. I had no idea what kind of reception a film that I headline would do. The talk that I was listening to pre-release wasn’t really that encouraging. We knew that and were not embarrassed to admit that we were clueless. Hence, we kept the budget as tight and restrictive as possible.” She explained: “Three of us are extremely ambitious. We want everything for the project, but I don’t think that you need to be reckless about it to achieve these big ambitions.”

Samantha revealed that she shot multiple sequences on the same day to keep production costs under control.

“Everyone was working on their capacity. Everyone wanted to give a little extra. It doesn’t belong to one person, but everyone who worked on this film because a film like this requires a little bit more time and budget. We borrowed from friends, family and put in our own money to make this film.”

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What made Maa Inti Bangaram work at the box office?

Samantha once again credited Raj for the film’s success. She said, “Raj wrote this. When we realised Sai Pallavi couldn’t play this part, he asked me to do it. He rewrote a lot of the content and was hugely inspired by the kind of things I usually do and my life experience.” She joked, “I don’t beat up bad guys in real life.”

Calling the film an exaggerated version of her resilience, Samantha added, “It is not just me but most of us. Women are extremely resilient, and keep getting back all the time. That made it to the script. Somewhere the lines got blurry between Swarna, me and Jhansi. It all became pretty blurry after a while.”

She gave the credit to Raj for creating an environment where she felt comfortable taking risks. “I think when you work with someone, who has seen you through it all. You aren’t scared.”

Samantha explained that there is usually a certain boundary when working with people who are unfamiliar, along with the fear of being judged if something new does not work as expected. “With Raj, I didn’t have to have those boundaries. I had such trust and vulnerability to go that extra mile knowing that you are in safe hands.”

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She also revealed that several scenes in the film were shot in a single take.

“I was part of the process from the idea/seed. I knew the character. I knew everything about this woman and her world and it was easy to slip into it.” She added, “I progressively get worse with every take. Hence we stick with the first take.”

Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s myositis diagnosis

In 2022, a year after her divorce, Samantha Ruth Prabhu was diagnosed with myositis, an autoimmune disease that causes muscle inflammation and weakness. The diagnosis prompted her to take a temporary break from acting and focus on her health.

While she did not sign new projects during this period, she completed films she had already committed to, including Yashoda, Shaakuntalam and Kushi, as well as Citadel: Honey Bunny. Maa Inti Bangaram marked her first film after Kushi.