'Shaakuntalam' trailer: Samantha Ruth Prabhu, aesthetic visual effects steer mythological-drama
The trailer of Samantha Ruth Prabhu's multilingual mythological drama Shaakuntalam is out! Directed by Gunasekhar, the film is based on Kalidasa's epic romance novel Abhijnana Shakuntalam and is heading toward a theatrical release on February 17. The 3D movie will release in Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada, and suffered a few months' delay due to the pending work on its VFX. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
Prabhu's popularity skyrocketed across India after her smashing performance in The Family Man Season 2, where she performed several high-octane action sequences. Considering all the film industries in India are hopping on the pan-Indian bandwagon and targeting wider audiences, it remains to be seen if Shaakuntalam can replicate the success of recent South blockbusters such as RRR, Vikram, and the KGF franchise, among others.
Clip has no dearth of pleasing visual effects
The awe-inspiring trailer is laced with stunning aesthetic shots which immediately transport us to an ancient Indian setting, while a voiceover simultaneously contextualizes the story. Prabhu, particularly, looks like a sight to behold in her pristine white dress. Though the entire story is revealed in the trailer, it'll still be interesting to see if the film can match the expectations established by the trailer.
The film boasts an ensemble cast
While Prabhu plays the titular character, actor Dev Mohan will essay the character of the king of the Puru Dynasty, Dushyant. Notably, Allu Arjun's daughter Allu Arha will essay the role of Prince Bharata, son of Shakuntala and Dushyant. The rest of the cast comprises Sachin Khedekar, Kabir Bedi, Dr. M Mohan Babu, Prakash Raj, Aditi Balan, Ananya Nagalla, Madhubala, Gautami, and Jisshu Sengupta.
Where else will we see the two actors?
Prabhu was last seen in the action thriller Yashoda, which was lauded critically and commercially. After Shaakuntalam, she has Arrangements of Love, Kushi, Chennai Story, and Citadel in the pipeline. She may also make her Bollywood debut opposite Ayushmann Khurrana in Dinesh Vijan's vampire film. On the other hand, Mohan is awaiting the release of Pawan Kumar's Dhoomam and Jiju Asokan's Pulli.
