Samantha Ruth Prabhu is truly having a dream run. Theri, her film with Vijay, which was recently released, has emerged a winner at the box office. She next has 24 with Suriya hitting the screens, and within days of that happening, she will have back-to-back releases of her Telugu films A Aa with Nithin and Brahmotsavam with Mahesh Babu.
Simply put, Samantha will have four huge films with four big heroes being released one after another in just a matter of days; and going by what the trade pundits say, it looks like she will have four winners in a matter of just two months. No wonder the actor has been sporting a big smile despite having to work non-stop.
Talking about her upcoming release — Vikram Kumar’s 24 — which is being billed as a scientific thriller, Samantha says, “24 is an ambitious project. When Vikram Kumar narrated the script to me, it was pretty scary.
I thought it would take two years to make. But this production house 2D, which is owned by Suriya, has surprised everybody by the way it handled this huge project. The story and imagination behind this is mammoth. I think that is the greatest thing about director Vikram. He keeps the child in him alive.”
She goes on, “I’m so happy that the final output is even better than what I visualised when he first told me the story. This is a one-of-a-kind film that hasn’t been done here before. The whole team has done a great job. Surya plays three different roles and each of them are demanding. There are portions that are a little on the lighter side. These portions provide relief to the very intense film. It is a film that has something for everybody.”
What role does she play in the film? “The character I play is part of the lighter portion of the film, but that doesn’t mean the lighter portions form a separate part. She is a part of the family. I’m glad that the love portion isn’t cut off from the main story. Vikram Kumar has a habit of giving his heroines something to do. I’m very grateful to him. This is my second outing with him after Manam (2014),” she says.
There have been rumours about Samantha looking to produce a Kannada film and act in it. Ask her about it and she clarifies that she is not producing the film. Ask if she is considering setting a trend by starting a production house and she says,” I am not launching my production company, but I am looking for meaty roles. Right now, getting a good role excites me. I think audiences are also ready to see content-oriented films. For me, content is king. I am not looking for women-centric films. Rather, I am looking for content-centric films.”
Will she try her hand at directing a film? “No,” she smiles. “I don’t think I have that much talent. I have the greatest respect for directors. While choosing a film, I consider the director first. People ask, ‘Which actors do you want to work with?’ I don’t have a wishlist of actors, but I have a wishlist of directors. So, when there’s talk of a wishlist, directors are the ones who come to my mind,” she says.