Shaakuntalam review: Epic fail!

Shaakuntalam

What’s it about?

The well-known story written by Kalidasa is as follows.

Shakuntala, the daughter of Viswamitra and Menaka, is raised in Kanva Maharshi’s ashramam. King Dushyanta meets Shakuntala (Samantha) on a hunting trip, falls in love with her, and marries her according to Gandharva tradition.

Dushyanta shows his love for Shakuntala by giving her his royal ring before leaving. Durvasa’s (Mohan Babu’s) curse causes Dushyanta to lose all recollection of her.

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Kanva Maharshi sends Sakunthala off to her husband Dushyanta as soon as she realizes she’s pregnant.

Dushyanta, on the other hand, fails to recognize her and humiliates her. Shakunthala flees to the forest and seeks refuge at the Asram of the sage Kasyapa Mahamuni, where she gives birth to a son, Bharat (Allu Arha). The remainder of the story revolves around Dushyanta’s quest to remember and reunite with her.

Analysis

Telugu cinema has a long history of producing great mythological films. Indeed, great filmmaker Satyajit Ray bemoaned the fact that some Indian film industries, such as Telugu cinema, were still telling stories about Lord Krishna or Rama. Telugu mythological films had such an impact. From KV Reddy to Kamalakara Kameswara Rao, they made great movies based on Mahabharata and Ramayana stories and subplots.

Gunasekhar, too, successfully made “Bala Ramayana” two decades ago. Given this context and history, I expected his latest attempt at mythological drama to be a fresh experience. Though I had reservations about the story of Kalidasa’s “Abhignana Shaakuntalam,” on which this film is based, I was eager to see it because, if well handled, it has the potential to revitalise the mythological genre.

We recently saw “Avatar 2” in 3D and were blown away by James Cameron’s Pandora. While the “Shaakuntalam” ashram with its tigers, peacocks, deer, bees, and flora and fauna is unlikely to provide the same level of immersion, Gunasekhar’s creation for the film certainly has the potential to thrill viewers. The aesthetics are spot on, but Gunasekhar’s use of 3D technology is awfully bad. In fact, the 3D is so bad that it has completely ruined the viewing experience. The ashram scenes are visually pleasing, but the rest of the movie, including the battle scenes and any CGI animals (especially the tigers and elephants), is terrible.

The lacklustre 3D experience is compounded by the ineptitude of other technical departments. The screenplay is dull, and the dialogue sounds like it was lifted straight from the 1950s. The music of Mani Sharma makes us want to run away.

Due to its lacklustre technical execution, this film fails to excite.

The war battle sequences seem fake. More like a spoof, actually.

Despite some portions in the second half (the royal court scene of Dushyanta and Shakuntala and Dushyanta’s arrival on the final episode) are good, the film doesn’t excite on the whole.

Samantha, in the lead role, has given an excellent performance. In the early romantic scenes, she appears sensual, but by the end, she is the very picture of strength.

Dev Mohan’s attractiveness makes him a good choice to play King Dushyanta. Even in his brief appearance, Mohan Babu makes an impression. Allu Arjun’s daughter Allu Arha makes debut as child actor. As Bharat, she makes a charming appearance.

Bottom line: The ambitious ideas of Gunasekhar’s “Shaakuntalam” are never fully realised. The 3D effect is a total bust. This mythological film is tedious to sit through because of its dull narrative, mediocre visual graphics, and lifeless score.

Rating: 1.75/5

By Jalapathy Gudelli

Film: Shaakuntalam
Cast: Samantha, Dev Mohan, Mohan Babu, Ananya Nagalla, Gautami Tadimalla, Allu Arha, and others
Dialogues: Sai Madhav Burra
Music: ManiSharma
Editor: Prawin Pudi
Cinematography: Shekar V Joseph
Art: Ashok
Action: Venkat, King Solomon
Presenter: Dil Raju
Producer: Neelima Guna
Screenplay and Directed by: Gunasekhar
Release Date: April 14, 2023

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What's it about?The well-known story written by Kalidasa is as follows.Shakuntala, the daughter of Viswamitra and Menaka, is raised in Kanva Maharshi's ashramam. King Dushyanta meets Shakuntala (Samantha) on a hunting trip, falls in love with her, and marries her according to Gandharva tradition.Dushyanta...Shaakuntalam review: Epic fail!