Critics at Sify praised Samantha as a "scene-stealer" and her beauty as "alluring", adding, "she was the girl to watch out for." Jeevi from, wrote that "Samantha's debut is one of the best heroine debuts in Telugu cinema" and noted that the "minute expressions she gave spoke volumes about her", whilst labelling the film as a "classic". Upon release of the film, Samantha received very positive reviews for her portrayal, with the film itself garnering much critical acclaim. In the film, Samantha played the lead character Jessie, a Malayali Saint Thomas Christian girl living in Hyderabad, with whom the male protagonist, played by Naga Chaitanya, falls in love.
Post-release, she revealed that Menon played a "crucial part in moulding her as an actress", teaching her how to remain natural and comfortable in front of the screen, even if she had no dialogues in a scene.
The actress successfully auditioned and was signed up for the project in mid August 2009 and worked on the film in India and the United States, while the film was released on 26 February 2010. The film, simultaneously made in Tamil as Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), created much anticipation prior to release, due primarily to the first-time-collaboration between Gautham Menon and composer A.
Samantha began her professional film career with Gautham Menon's Telugu film, Ye Maaya Chesave (2010). Main article: Samantha Ruth Prabhu filmography 2010: Debut and breakthrough Towards the end of her undergraduate degree she became involved in modelling, notably working with Naidu Hall, through which she was first spotted by filmmaker Ravi Varman.
As a part of her education, Samantha was schooled at Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School and then completed a degree in commerce at Stella Maris College, Chennai. Despite her mixed regional background, she has cited herself as a Tamilian. She was brought up in Pallavaram in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, as the youngest child of the family, with two elder brothers Jonathan and David, whilst becoming fluent in the Tamil language. Samantha was born on 28 April 1987 to a Telugu father, Joseph Prabhu and a Malayali mother, Ninette Prabhu from Alappuzha, Kerala.
She is a recipient of several awards, including four Filmfare Awards, one Filmfare OTT Award, two Nandi Awards, six South Indian International Movie Awards, and three CineMAA Awards. Samantha Ruth Prabhu (formerly Akkineni born 28 April 1987) is an Indian actress who has established a career in Telugu and Tamil film industries.