Samantha Ruth Prabhu has recently opened up about what she describes as a 'toxic relationship' in her life – her dependence on her mobile phone. The actress, who has been candid about her health journey and lifestyle habits, revealed that she felt her phone usage was disrupting the balance she had worked hard to achieve in her daily routine.
In a conversation on her health podcast, Take 20, Samantha shared how she realized her phone had become a source of stress and a distraction from her well-being. "I had made so many changes in my life, and I was pretty happy with the routine I had created for myself," she explained. "The one thing that I couldn't control was this... Going to the phone, this relationship with my phone, which I was starting to question again, and this false sense of importance that 'It's my work and it has to be done'". She began to question the "false sense of urgency" that kept her glued to her device.
To address this issue, Samantha took a decisive step: a three-day silent retreat. This retreat involved complete disconnection from her phone, communication, eye contact, reading, writing, and any other form of stimulation. "So I went on a silence retreat for three days without phone, with no communication, no eye contact, no reading, no writing, no stimulation of any kind. Your brain just comes down," Samantha stated. She described the experience as a "drug detox," emphasizing how it helped her disconnect from the constant stimulation and reconnect with her own thoughts.
Samantha realized during the retreat that her ego was closely linked to her phone. The constant connection to social media and work created a "false sense of importance". Without the phone, she was able to see how much her sense of self was tied to external validation and achievement. The silence and lack of stimulation allowed her brain to slow down and focus on what truly mattered.
Samantha has been praised for her resilience and the way she has handled her health after being diagnosed with myositis, an autoimmune condition. Her openness about her struggles and her commitment to self-care have inspired many. In addition to addressing her relationship with her phone, Samantha recently responded to critics who commented on her weight loss. She shared a video of herself doing pull-ups, with a message to those who body-shame her.
On the professional front, Samantha was recently seen in Citadel: Honey Bunny with Varun Dhawan and had a cameo in Subham. She is currently preparing for the release of Maa Inti Bangaram and the action series Rakt Brahmand: The Bloody Kingdom.