Samantha says she was ‘forced to go public about’ myositis

Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu said that she was forced to come out in public and reveal she was suffering from the autoimmune disorder myositis.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2024, the 36-year-old actor said that ahead of her 2022 release “Yashoda”, she had to come out in the open and speak about suffering from the disorder and admitted that if she was given a choice, she would not have made the announcement.

“I was forced to go public about my disorder. At that time, I had my female-centric film due for release. I was very sick back then. It was hard and I wasn’t ready. There were all sorts of speculation going around and misinformation being spread.”

“The producers needed me to promote it, otherwise, it (the film) would just die. So, I agreed to do one interview. Obviously, I didn’t look the same. I had high doses of medication to keep me stable. I was forced to. Given a choice, I wouldn’t have come out and announced it,” she said.

Recalling her early days as an actor, Prabhu said that she would get anxious after reading some of the articles written about her and said that social media had become a platform for the public to project pain.