Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s long-awaited release, Yashoda, opened in theatres today. The South actress made headlines after making a recent reveal about battling Myositis, a rare autoimmune condition that weakens bodily muscles. And now she’s back in the news after her forthcoming release, and this time around, for good reasons.

Yashoda is a Telugu language film, which belongs to the suspense-action thriller genre. Actors Unni Mukundan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, and Murali Sharma also have key roles to play in the movie. The storyline follows the life of a woman named Yashoda (Prabhu), who is out on vengeance against the exploitation of hapless surrogate mothers, who’ve been victimized due to the existing arrangement over the years.

Here’s How Fans Have Reacted So Far 

The movie heralds good news in terms of finances as well. Yashoda had reportedly managed to rake in Rs. 55 crores prior to its release. Now, that’s a feat in itself for Prabhu and has been pegged as the highest pre-release business for a film, which is shouldered by a woman in the lead.  

The digital rights have been sold for Rs. 24 crores, while the satellite rights have been purchased for Rs. 13 crores. The Indian distribution of the film has amounted to Rs. 12 crores approximately.  

In an interview, Prabhu averred that she has come a long way and is grateful to be where she is. “Whenever I have heard stories that have come to me, one of the criteria for me has been to find roles that are new for me. I can’t see myself repeating a similar character or genre for that matter. And of course, to get here it takes a bit of a journey. And now that I am here where I can pick and choose I am very mindful of playing someone new, every single time,” she added.  

When quizzed about ‘women-centric’ movies, Prabhu enthused how there isn’t a dearth of stories. “Many stories are written for women or roles that are written for women on equal footing. But the question that we really need to ask is how many people are willing to go and watch these movies? Why are these movies even categorized as “women-centric”? As a society, it often takes a lot of introspection to evolve. And I think we are at crossroads right now and it’s going to be a collective effort on everyone’s part to make that change.”  

Lead Image: Sakthi Film Factory