Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s face card is immaculate. I notice this on a Friday morning, when we are on the set of The Nod’s May cover shoot in Mumbai, and the star is getting ready for her first shot. The hairstylist on duty today, Mitesh Rajani, has just put her hair in a high pony-braid, and Savleen Manchanda is busy working a brush on her face. We say our hellos and chit-chat about activewear, polyglotism, and the sweltering Mumbai heat. At some point, the topic moves on to her upcoming film, and someone in the room asks, “Who’s the hero?” Samantha simply says, “I don’t do those kinds of films anymore.” I can’t help but grin.
In an hour, the oversized jersey and denim cutoff shorts she’s wearing will be replaced by a chartreuse David Koma blouse that sits somewhere between the slime green from our Brat era to the highlighter yellow we used in school, which today she’s paired with tailored black shorts. But even when her face is veiled—wrapped inside a silken green cloth fluttering midair—she looks like a fantasy. Her movement is unfettered. Her legs look glorious. Samantha, as they say, is giving. Read her chat with The Nod on success, silent retreats, swimming, and what is likely to be her joyful next chapter.
