New Delhi - Personifying the youth's unwavering passion and unshakable spirit through its disruptive narratives, Pepsi unveils yet another rendition of its empowering new brand positioning 'Rise Up, Baby!'. The campaign features actress, youth icon, and an inspiration for women across the country, Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

With this campaign, Samantha joins Pepsi's star-verse as one of its newest brand ambassadors.

All set to redefine the cliches around gender roles in society, the stirring and inspiring campaign aims to encourage women to follow their passions and irrepressible beliefs to break the societal norms that the world has created for them. Portraying the archetypal situations an Indian woman faces daily, from being questioned for not being married by a certain age, shamed for staying out late for work or taking up a lead action-oriented role, the campaign is a commentary on the millions of passive comments and pressures that women go through in life.

The gripping campaign through its powerful three words, 'Rise Up Baby', pays homage to the free-spirited women who do not let others define their worth, and march to their own rhythm.

Commenting on the campaign, actress Samantha, said, "I strongly believe that women should always follow their hearts, shattering the stereotypes that society has set for us. The campaign, was, therefore, even more special for me as it exemplifies the unshakable and persistent spirit of the women of this generation while inspiring them to wear their quirks on their sleeves. I am truly excited to be associated with Pepsi and cannot wait for fans to get inspired by the campaign and 'Rise Up, Baby!"

Saumya Rathor, Category Lead, Pepsi Cola, PepsiCo India, said, "Pepsi has always strived to reflect the synergy of the younger generation. Through our last two campaigns, we aimed to portray the irrepressible spirit of the youth as they rise above societal norms. For this campaign, our focus was to offer an empowering campaign for the woman of India and pay tribute to their unwavering self-belief and self-confidence. Samantha Ruth Prabhu is the epitome of the independent, bold, and free-spirited modern Indian women, and therefore resonates perfectly with our positioning of 'Rise UP, Baby!'. We welcome Samantha to the Pepsi family and are extremely thrilled to work with her for many more disruptive campaigns going forward."

(IANSlife)

Mumbai, April 10 (IANS) Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who swayed the nation with her moves in 'Oo Antava', was the only choice for 'Shaakuntalam', the director of the film revealed.

Director Gunasekhar kept Samantha in mind while penning the script of the historical drama.

Elaborating on the same, Gunasekhar said: "When I wanted to make the eternal love story of Shakuntala and Dushyant in an interesting backdrop of a beautiful whimsical forest much like a forest princess in a Disney kind of film, I wanted someone who could be relatable to the millennial audiences, and felt Samantha would be apt for this film and approached her."

The filmmaker also believes that Samantha fitted the role perfectly and that no one could have essayed it better than her.

"The film traces the emotional journey of a woman who falls in love and the challenges fate throws at her. She's a character of inner strength who depicts her emotions with dignity and grace in all that she does. Her truth is her strength, all these emotions can only be portrayed by a wonderful performer like Samantha and she was our only choice to be able to create this epic", he added.

'Shaakuntalam' is set to release on April 14 in cinemas.

Mumbai (IANS): Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who made her acting debut with the Telugu film 'Ye Maaya Chesave' in 2010, and received a lot of appreciation for her performance on the song 'Oo Antava' from 'Pushpa: The Rise', has completed 13 years in the film industry and she expressed gratitude towards her fans for giving her their love and support.

She posted a picture of colourful flowers and wrote in the caption: "The older I get, the farther I go. I just feel deeply thankful for all the love and affection and for each new day and all the good things it brings. So many things that used to affect me don't anymore. Just a wave of love and gratitude everyday. Thank you."

Her friends and fans also congratulated her for successfully completing 13 years in the industry.

One wrote: "I know how and where you started and looking at how you are today makes me swell up with pride!! To 13 years of a career handled with Grace, Grit, Hustle, Talent, Integrity and a NEVER GIVE UP attitude..The New Chapter that has just started looks so good..Keep Going Iron Lady.."

Another friend shared her old picture and wrote: "Look at this photo I found :) @instrogrammer clicked it 14 years back on our terrace :) Congratulations on 13 years @samantharuthprabhuoffl here's to plenty more."

In her previous tweet also she mentioned: "I feel all of this love. It is what keeps me going. Now and forever, I am what I am because of you. 13 years and we are just getting started."

On the professional front, Samantha is known for her works in Telugu and Tamil cinema including 'Dookudu' , 'Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu', 'Attarintiki Daredi, 'Kaththi', 'Theri', and thriller series 'The Family Man', among others.