Samantha Akkineni is one of the most versatile actresses our country has and definitely a favourite down south. When she made her debut in Goutham Menon’s Ye Maya Chesave, we all got our new crush. It was evident in her debut performance that she is a decent performer. But with time the actor went on to become one of the most bankable stars in both Tollywood and Kollywood.
It is often not an easy ride for women to excel in the entertainment business and needless to say if you are an outsider. Breaking all the shackles and stereotypes, Samantha stands tall today as not just an actor but also as a multifaceted personality with a great star value. She performs, does philanthropy, is a successful entrepreneur, a fitness enthusiast, a fashionista in its true sense and the list goes on.
Today, as she turns 34, let us go down the memory lane and cherish some of her most memorable performances that stayed with us!
Oh Baby! (2019)
This BV Nandini Reddy’s flick tells the story of an aged woman named Baby, whose soul magically gets trapped in a young woman’s body (Samantha). A remake of the South Korean hit movie Miss Granny, Samantha shines in this with her performance. Her animated expressions, comic timing, emotional vulnerability and cute antics surely made us all go Aww! She was widely praised by the critics and audience. You can catch this adorable film on Netflix.
U-Turn (2018)
Remake of a Kannada film of the same name, this movie is a mystery-thriller film written and directed by Pawan Kumar. The story revolves around a journalist, Rachna (Samantha) is working on an article on the mysterious accidents and deaths at a flyover. Samantha puts forth a strong performance and in a way carved a niche for herself with this. The film received a great response from audience and the critics. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime.
Rangasthalam (2018)
You will be lying if you said Ramalakashmi (Samantha) did not make your heart flutter. One of her most unique performances in her career, she won our hearts when she walked in with that buffalo in the song “Yentha sakkaga unnave” from the film. Though she was cast opposite Ram Charan, in no way did her character seemed less important to the story. This is a performance of a lifetime.
Theri (2016)
Directed by Atlee, this Thalapathy Vijay starrer film broke records when it released. The film was considered to be one of the biggest hits of Vijay’s career. The focus might have been on him, but one cannot deny that Samantha’s brief appearance in the film is what stayed with us all even after leaving the theatre. Mithra (Samantha) is loving, expressive, not afraid of her emotions and is extremely protective of her loved ones. This was also a career defining role for Samantha in Kollywood as it helped her make a huge impact on the Tamil audience.
Super Deluxe (2019)
The film gives us four stories and the protagonists in each of these stories are tested in their beliefs in the strangest ways. Directed by Thiagarajan Kumararaja, the black-comedy features Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil, Samantha Akkineni, and Ramya Krishnan in leading roles. Despite it being a multi-starrer, Samantha managed to bring her own charm and her performance definitely shined on. It was also a very unconventional character given that actresses, especially stars these days are often skeptical of taking taking up flawed and imperfect characters.
Not to forget some of the honourable mentions including the evergreen Ye maya chesave, Majili, Manam among many others. We are now definitely looking forward to her debut in Hindi with Family Man season 2 alongside Manoj Bajpayee. The actress has some really interested projects lined up and all we can say is this is just the beginning and we can’t wait to see her conquer the world.
On that note, here’s wishing Samantha Akkineni a very Happy Birthday!
