Directed by Gunasekhar, ‘Shakuntalam’ stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Dev Mohan in the lead. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Telugu film of director Gunasekhar shakuntalamRetelling of the story of Shakuntala Mahabharata, is an ambitious experiment. The makers hope that the audience will be impressed by the romance between Shakuntala and Dushyant and the original story of King Bharat in 3D. If contemporary audiences can watch international superhero and fantasy stories, why not our epics? The intention is commendable and the director has got Samantha Ruth Prabhu to portray Shakuntala’s resilience and the actor is convincing. But the film is technically weak and the screenplay is also weak.
one of the better segment of Shakuntalam, Madhuryapurna, however, appears in the court of King Dushyanta (Dev Mohan) of the Puru dynasty. Shakuntala’s adopted mother (Gautami) and friends from Kanva Maharishi’s ashram (Adarsh Balakrishna and Yash Puri) are at a loss to help Shakuntala after Dushyant declares that he has never seen her so that he can accept her as his wife or husband. could accept him as his unborn child. My. Shakuntala, who until then has silently accepted her heartbreak and despair, speaks up and confronts the king, only to be humiliated. Samantha and Dev Mohan make the scene stand out.
shakuntalam
Cast: Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Dev Mohan
Direction: Gunasekhar
Music: Mani Sharma
The first hour is spent in the jungles, rendered Disney-like, showing how Shakuntala and her friends Anasuya and Priyamvada (Ananya Nagalla and Aditi Balan) live in harmony with nature and the animals and birds respond to their interactions . These parts could be magical; Perhaps it’s the visual effects or the conversion to 3D that make these forest scenes appear, to put it bluntly, superfluous.
The portrayal of the romance between Dushyant and Shakuntala also lacks the necessary depth or emotional significance to connect with the journey of their characters. The jungle segments, including the confrontation between the Kalnemi demons and Dushyant in the vicinity of the ashram, could have benefited from better action choreography and visual effects. disconnect with shakuntalam is prominent during the initial parts.
The film begins to come into its own in emotional scenes, beginning with Shakuntala bidding a tearful farewell to her adoptive father Kanva Maharishi, deer and other animals on the long boat journey to the kingdom. Mani Sharma’s composition ‘Mallika Mallika’ shows Shakuntala waiting for Dushyant in different seasons and ‘Yelelo Yellelo’ with Prakash Raj as the boatman complements the mood of the narrative.
The court scene gives hope that the film might have finally found its groove. If only! Except for the occasional scene like Menaka (Madhu) lamenting Shakuntala’s plight or a conversation between young Bharat (Allu Arha) and Dushyant, nothing really deserves attention. The battle between Indra Dev (Jisshu Sengupta) and the Asura king (Kabir Duhan Singh) suffers from shoddy visual effects. Who has raised the bar for visual effects in Indian cinema? bahubali And RRR And meeting that standard is imperative, if not aiming high. shakuntalam There are fades and the 3D experience makes it worse.
The writing is also crooked. We never truly understood Shakuntala’s personality or the bond she shared with others in the ashram or with Dushyant. Most of the supporting characters remain one note, as if they could be skipped. The Durvasa Maharishi episode is effective; Mohan Babu looks into the role and shows that the grumpy Rishi is not to be taken lightly. The conversation between Bharath and Dushyant starts with wit and charm and goes overboard with a lot of one-liners.
The one who stands at the forefront of the emotional segment is Samantha. After high-on-action performances in The Family Man 2 And Yashoda, the actor takes it upon himself to show that he can portray Shakuntala’s vulnerability and strength even in scenes that require her to speak barely a line or two. Dev Mohan as Dushyant deserves a royal portrayal and Allu Arha makes a stellar debut.
except for moments, shakuntalam is boring and a missed opportunity. It neither comes across as a Disney-like film nor does it have the seriousness to whet the appetite for mythology among contemporary audiences.