When director B V Nandini Reddy first heard Maa Inti Bangaaram’s story, she wrote a three-digit number on a board as her prediction for the film’s box office collection. A fortnight into the Samantha Ruth Prabhu-starrer’s release, it has reportedly earned over Rs 80 crore worldwide. “I told everyone we could get this number,” recalled Reddy, happy that the action comedy is nearing that number.

Maa Inti Bangaaram has already hit a milestone — it has become the highest grossing female-led movie in Telugu cinema. For that, Reddy credits her leading lady’s range as a performer, especially her action prowess.

“In the [past few years], Samantha added action to her arsenal through The Family Man 2 [2021] and Citadel: Honey Bunny [2024]. Now, she is ready for the next jump to big-league commercial cinema. I’ve been teasing her, saying, ‘When are you doing the next Marvel film?’ The coolness with which she does action is superb,” shared the director.

To Reddy, the bigger success is that she was able to deliver a film befitting her lead’s immense popularity. “She is great at comedy, dances well, does action like any cool male star. In the promotions, I kept telling [her fans], ‘Whatever you love of Sam, we will deliver 10x of it.’”

The film is also special to Prabhu as she shot it during her pregnancy — something that the director learnt only after the first day of a dance number shoot. “That day, Sam was a little unwell and came late, which is unlike her. The next day, I asked her, ‘Were you running a fever?’ There was a moment of silence before she said, ‘I’m pregnant.’ I was [ecstatic]. The baby is a part of this celebration.”