Vijay Deverakonda reveals why his Kushi co-star Samantha spoke about her myositis publicly

Talking about Samantha’s struggles, Vijay said, “More than me, I want to see Samantha smile. She struggled a lot with the film. We started this film in April 2022 with a smile on our faces. We had completed 60 per cent. Only 30-35 per cent of shooting was pending. By July, Sam’s health condition deteriorated. She said that her health wasn’t good. Shiva and I were like ‘You look beautiful. What problem do you have?’ We took it lightly. Later, we understood her plight.”

He further disclosed that Samantha ceased communication with them due to her poor health. He explained, “In July, when I was promoting my other film, I got to know about Sam’s health. Initially, she didn’t talk about it. I told Sam that we are actors and that we are storytellers. I felt we did not have to talk about our struggles in the open. After a point, Samantha felt it was her responsibility to talk about her health. She stopped talking to us and she stopped seeing all of us. She was extremely unwell. She fought so many battles. At that point, she decided to share it with everyone, just to tell people that there’s hope. We met nearly 50-60 people today (August 15) and nearly 40 people came up to her and said that they were dealing with their health issues and how she was an inspiration. I felt what Sam did was right.”

In his concluding remarks, the actor acknowledged Samantha’s ongoing health struggles, including frequent headaches and sensitivity to bright lights. Nevertheless, he praised her unwavering dedication to her fans, always showing up, looking fabulous, dancing, and beaming with a smile.