‘Challenge that I gave myself’: Samantha Ruth Prabhu on why she decided to do ‘Oo Antava’

NEW DELHI: Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s ‘Oo Antava’ from Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna starrer 2021 film ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ became a smash hit, and everyone praised her dance moves in the track.

She recalled working in it and said that “it was a challenge” that she gave to herself.

While speaking at the NDTV World Summit 2025, Samantha said, “I did ‘Oo Antava’ to see if I could. It was a challenge that I gave myself.”

The ‘Oh! Baby’ actor added that she took the opportunity as, “I never considered myself sexy, and no one was ever going to give me a ‘bold role’. It was a one-time thing.”

“Oo Antava’ is composed by Devi Sri Prasad with lyrics written by Chandrabose. It was released in multiple languages, and the hook steps performed by Samantha with Allu Arjun became a viral trend.

During the summit, the ace star also spoke about being part of ‘The Family Man 2’ and playing the role of Raji, saying, “I went searching for this role. No one would have given me this role… I had played the girl-next-door roles in the south… Raji was completely different from anything I had ever done.”

The series is a sequel to ‘The Family Man’, an edgy, action-drama series, which tells the story of a middle-class man, Srikant Tiwari, portrayed by Bajpayee, who works for a special cell of the National Investigation Agency.

It revolves around Srikant’s tight-rope walk as he struggles to strike a balance between his secretive low paying, high-pressure, high-stakes job and being a husband, a father, and a ‘family man.’

The series has been created and directed by Raj and DK, and the new season will see Bajpayee and JK Talpade reprising their roles along with Priya Mani and Sharad Kelkar. The award-winning Amazon Original Series marks the digital debut of South superstar Samantha Akkineni.

At the session titled ‘Authenticity: The New Fame’, she said, “I don’t think authenticity is the final destination – it is a work in progress. I don’t have everything sorted, I don’t have my life sorted, but I’m able to speak about it. I am not perfect; I might make mistakes, I might stumble, but I’m trying to be better.”

Samantha added, “I’m talking about authenticity with my own journey. I can’t begin to explain that I know someone else’s. I can speak it and keep it as real as possible. My life – anyone who has followed my journey – is aware of the personal struggles. The separation, the illness – they have all been very public. It has come with a lot of trolling and judgment; a lot of judgment for being open and vulnerable.”

Calling herself “ambitious”, she noted that ambition should be “attached with purpose”, “I am ambitious, but that ambition should be linked to purpose. Ambition should not just run wild; it should come attached with purpose. It is important for youth today to select their mentors very carefully, it can dictate their entire life. I listened to hours of podcasts and found mentors who changed the trajectory of my life.”

On the work front, Samantha is known for working in films such as ‘Dookudu’, ‘Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu’, ‘Attarintiki Daredi’, ‘Kaththi’ , ‘Theri’, ‘Mersal’ , and ‘Rangasthalam’. She also gained appreciation for her performance in she gained further praise for her performances in ‘Mahanati’ , ‘Oh! Baby’, ‘Super Deluxe’ and ‘Majili’ , and the thriller series ‘The Family Man’. (ANI)