Happy birthday Samantha Akkineni: Here's a look at 7 career-defining roles of the actress 

Be it your next-door neighbour girl or an honest journalist who is up for a challenge, Samantha Akkineni has had an illustrious career. In her 11 years of career, she has been a part of critically acclaimed and blockbuster movies. As the South Indian superstar turns 34 today, here is a look at some of her best performances. 

Ye Maya Chesave

A Gautam Menon directorial, Ye Maya Chesave marked the debut of Samantha. Her portrayal of Jessie won the youth’s hearts and was instantly liked by everyone. The actress believes that the movie changed her life professionally and personally since she met her husband, Naga Chaitanya on the sets. 

Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu

The year 2012 saw the actress in yet another romantic film. This movie also directed by Gautam Menon starred Samantha and Nani in the lead roles. A coming-of-age romantic track follows the journey of the lead pair’s love story from their schooling time. Samantha's sincere portrayal of Nithya earned her grand reception and she grabbed a Nandi Award too. 

Eega 

Samantha was also featured in another blockbuster in the year 2012. Eega directed by SS Rajamouli is a revenge saga with a twist. Only this time the story revolves around a fly. Samantha plays the role of the fly’s love interest, Bindu. She looks beautiful in the movie and has done her role with ease and conviction. 

Theri 

Directed by Atlee, Theri released in the year 2016 did humongous business at the box office. The actress paired up with Vijay for the second time in this action drama. Samantha’s role in the movie is comparatively smaller. But as Mithra, she is crisp and seamlessly transforms into the character. 

Mahanati 

It was the year 2018 when Nag Ashwin released his masterpiece - Mahanti, a biopic based on one of the greatest actors in India, Savithri. Keerthy Suresh reprised the role of Savithri and also won a National Award for her stellar performance. The movie also featured Samantha in the role of a journalist who writes about Savithri in a newspaper. While she is merely a part of the supporting cast, Samantha gets a chance to shine in the climax. And she does complete justice and leaves the audiences in tears with an impactful dialogue delivery. 

Rangasthalam

Sukumar’s directorial Rangasthalam came out in 2018 and was a massive success. It is believed to be Ram Charan’s biggest movie. Samantha plays the role of Ramalakshmi and her portrayal of a rustic village girl impressed everyone. 

Super Deluxe

Nobody imagined Samantha to play an unfaithful character, but she pleasantly surprised everyone in Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s Super Deluxe. She plays Vembu who commits adultery and in the process kills her love interest. Yet, by the end of the movie, you empathise with her and you are rooting for Vembu. If this does not talk about Samantha’s acting prowess, we don’t know what will. 

Happy Birthday, Samantha Akkineni!