Hurried storytelling with compelling performances

Shaakuntalam (Telugu/Theatres)

Director: Gunasekhar

Cast: Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Dev Mohan

Rating: 3.5/5

Samantha’s latest venture in which she is depicted as Shakuntala, a legendary character from one of the great Indian epics (‘Mahabaratha’) is laudable. However, the execution of the entire narrative disappoints for its hurried storytelling. The movie is based on Kalidasa’s ‘Abhijnana Shakuntalam’, an epic love story of King Dhushyantha and Shakuntala.

The cinematography introduces the VFX/CGI measures right at the beginning of the movie, and the narrative takes us to introducing as many main characters as possible right away. It is indeed a fast-moving narrative, highlighting only the main story of King Dhushyantha and Shakuntala. Minute mythical narratives too appear. The overall result tends to come across as a little sombre in tone.

The performance of all the characters is commendable. It is refreshing to see Samantha, as Shakuntala, adept at carrying a new role altogether. Clad in both simple attire and royal robes, Samantha shows tremendous involvement, which her character demands.

Dev Mohan, as King Dhusyantha, too delivers a splendid performance as a righteous king, fearless warrior, and a gentle lover. Sachin Khedekar and Goutami as Shakuntala’s foster father and mentor-friend respectively have also performed well. The cameo appearances of actors like Madhoo Shah, Mohan Babu and Prakash Raj add to the richness of the story. Introducing Allu Arha, in a manner, works well on the commercial line.

The narrative offers an epic love story, war, and alluring visuals of forests through computer-generated images. The language has a tinge of Sanskrit, to get a flavour of ancient India, yet the dialogues are gentle enough on new ears.

The grand setting and well-researched portrayal of ancient Indian erotica should be appreciated. Although, Indian cinema is experimenting with the latest versions of computer graphic imageries, it must also evolve to recreate more natural landscapes that are in tune with the Indian setting.