Samantha Opens Up About Her 'Strained' Relationship With Father Joseph: Told Me You're Not Smart

Samantha Ruth Prabhu's father Joseph Prabhu died on Friday, November 30. The actress penned a heartfelt note on her social media handle that reads, "Until we meet again Dad". Days before his death, the actress appeared for an interview with Galatta India and opened up about her strained relationship with her father. The Citadel: Honey Bunny actress also revealed that she struggled for validation from her father and the impact it had on her self-worth.

I had to fight for validation: Samantha Ruth Prabhu

In an interview, Samantha shared how all her life she had to "fight for validation". She said that her father was probably like most Indian parents, who think they are protecting their child but in fact, downplaying their abilities. “He actually told me, ‘You’re not that smart. This is just the standard of Indian education. That’s why even you can get a first rank.’ When you say that to a child, I really believed for the longest time that I’m not smart and not good enough."

This mindset followed her into her career because when her movie Ye Maaya Chesave turned out to be a blockbuster and people praised her for the performance,  she didn't know how to accept all of it. "I wasn’t used to it. Success does two things: either you think you’re invincible, or you feel undeserving of the love and praise you get. For me, it was the latter. I was scared people would wake up and realise I’m not all that talented or cool. I kept pushing myself to be better, to look better, to feel worthy of the adulation," she added.

The Kushi actress revealed that it took her over a decade to unlearn the pattern. She concluded by saying, "It took me 10-12 years or more to realise I’m not perfect and never will be. But imperfect is pretty cool too."

DYK Samantha Ruth Prabhu's father was Anglo-Indian?

Samantha's father was a Telugu Anglo-Indian, while her mother is a Syrian Malayali. The exact cause of her father's death is yet to be known. A member of Samantha's team confirmed the news. The spokesperson also requested fans and members of the media to give her and her family some privacy.