Samantha Reclaims Her Feminist Voice with Subham, Her Boldest Move Yet

Subham, the debut production of Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Tralala Moving Pictures, was more than just a horror-comedy. Written by Vasanth Maringanti and directed by Praveen Kandregula, the film was a much-needed breath of fresh air — a story that made audiences laugh, think, and feel. Grounded and sincere, Subham quietly dismantled toxic alpha male tropes and, in the most unassuming way, put women front and centre — handing them the pen to write their own stories.

In many ways, Samantha reclaimed her space as a staunch feminist. Not that she ever truly left it. But after Oo Antava in Pushpa: The Rise — her first, and most likely last, item song — which came in the aftermath of her divorce, many were surprised, and some even disappointed.

In several interviews, Samantha has made it clear: she wouldn’t do another item song. She took on Oo Antava only because it pushed her outside the “girl-next-door” comfort zone she had long inhabited on screen.

Since then, she’s taken on roles that defy easy categorization — be it Family Man 2, Yashoda, or Honey Bunny. Each project reaffirmed her desire to challenge herself, to grow beyond the familiar.

And yet, it’s worth asking: should challenging oneself be the only reason to portray strength and independence? For many real women, feminism isn’t a choice or an experiment — it’s a necessity. They don’t get to “step outside” their comfort zones because life never gave them one to begin with. Their strength is born of survival, not curiosity.

(Spoiler Ahead!)

One of the film’s most powerful scenes unfolds when the female protagonists — haunted by the ghosts of elderly women in their families, obsessed with daily soap operas — rewrite the narrative, literally. They take control of the story, ending their shared suffering with compassion and resolve.

It nudges the viewer to look beyond the drama of soap operas and ask a deeper question: What do our mothers and grandmothers really feel when they watch these shows? To outsiders, these serials may seem overly emotional or exaggerated. But for the women in our homes, they might be mirrors — reflecting long-suppressed feelings, unspoken desires, and quiet grief.

A journalist captured this poignantly in a review: “For many women, especially those confined to their homes, TV was their only window to the world, their only escape. Some didn’t even have that privilege. In the early days, before TV, novels filled that gap. Women would immerse themselves in characters, live through them. And when television entered every home, serials became that new emotional outlet. When the heroine smiled, they smiled. When she suffered, they did too. When the so-called ‘alpha male’ betrayed her, their hearts broke — because they had lived through that pain.”

By choosing Subham as her first production, Samantha didn’t just produce a film — she made a statement. Of all the polished, market-ready scripts she could have picked, she chose one that was raw, eccentric, moving, and deeply feminist.

Subham was hilarious, heartwarming, and unsettling — all at once. And just like that, Samantha reminded us: sometimes, the loudest revolutions come dressed in humour and humility.