Shaakuntalam movie review: Samantha Ruth Prabhu starrer is an anachronistic costume drama – The Indian Express
Director Gunasekhar is thought for his larger-than-life movies – he recreated the Charminar for his Okkadu with Mahesh Babu in 2003 and your complete Madhura Meenakshi temple for Arjun (2004), once more with Mahesh. He’s additionally not new to elaborate units and costume dramas as his third movie – Ramayanam in 1997 was an adaptation of Ramayana with baby actors. This was by the way one of many first movies of Jr NTR. Gunasekhar’s most up-to-date movie was the interval drama Rudramadevi.
Gunasekhar’s newest directorial Shaakuntalam mentions the Mahabharata supply, and declares following the Kalidasa model for this adaptation. Shakuntala, a logo of purity, chastity, integrity and self-respect, who challenges the King himself and declares her willpower to deliver up her son to be a greater particular person, is romanticized by Kalidasa in his model. The blame of fallacious doing is faraway from the King and a story machine within the type of a hoop and Durvasa’s curse deliver within the aspect of destiny into the story. This precursor of ill-fated romance by Kalidasa so favored by the Western writers and poets is the model adopted by Gunasekhar in Shaakuntalam.
As there isn’t any villain on this model of story, the film trudges together with no main emotional upheavals pulling the viewers aside. After Samantha’s dreamlike introduction, she is already pining for her suitor, desirous to see him once more. She turns into entangled in what her buddies Anasuya (Ananya Nagalla) and Priyamvada (Aditi Balan) maintain repeating in regards to the King. This passive acceptance relegates the daring on her half in accepting the King to the background, that too when her father was not current within the ashram. Even when Durvasa curses her for her neglect, she turns into a mere element within the happenings, not conscious of her mistake until very late. This passivity is hardly understandable to the current technology. Even when the King rejects her, she prays to mom earth to drag her inside and finish her existence – similar to Sita.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Dev Mohan as Shakuntala and Dushyanta, respectively, are spectacular. The episodes with Indra (Jishu Sengupta) and Menaka (Madhubala) drag the narrative down each time they seem on display screen. Mohan Babu as Durvasa lifts the movie briefly. Aditi Balan impresses inside her restricted display screen time. An actor of her caliber wanted a greater character. Ananya Nagalla does a passable job. Sachin Khedekar sleepwalks as Sage Kanva. Gautami’s function is unwell outlined and hardly registers. Prakash Raj in a cameo is equally forgettable.
What lastly lifts up the movie in the course of the climax is Allu Arjun’s daughter Allu Arha taking part in Bharata. Together with her cute, charismatic presence and nicely managed dialogues, she brings heat and freshness to the display screen.
Saimadhav Burra’s dialogues are good at few locations. Mani Sharma’s music is satisfactory. The 3D conversion, added a lot later, is a giant letdown. The views are misplaced; depth is both extreme or not proper, leading to a continuing irritation that maybe brings down the movie itself. Viewers higher skip the 3D model.
Dil Raju and Gunasekhar have to be appreciated for taking curiosity in bringing such historic literature to the display screen once more. The one letdown is that this specific topic is hardly the appropriate materials for the present technology. Maybe the unique Mahabharata model of an assertive girl was a greater match.
Commercial
Shaakuntalam film forged: Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Dev Mohan, Sachin Khedekar, Mohan Babu, Allu Arha
Shaakuntalam film director: Gunasekhar
Shaakuntalam film score: 2 stars
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