2.5/5
Before the beginning of the film, we get a writeup stating that the makers have taken The Mahabharata and Kalidas’ play Abhijnanashakuntalam as the basis of the film. Shakuntala, as we know, was the love child of sage Vishwamitra and the apsara Menaka. She was brought up in the ashram of rishi Kanav, and grows up to be a comely but innocent maiden. Once, king Dushyant of the Puru dynasty wanders into their ashram and the duo fall madly in love with each other. She and Dushyant go for a Gandharva vivah, exchanging garlands in the presence of nature and animals and consummate their relationship. Dushyanta goes back to his palace but promises to treat her as his lawful wife. He gives a ring to her as a symbol of his love. When a pregnant Shakuntala goes searching for her husband, he doesn’t remember her, thanks to a curse by rishi Durvasa. She had neglected Durvasa when he had come to her ashram, and he cursed her that her lover would forget all about her. Later, the rishi diluted the curse by saying Dushyanta would regain his memory of her upon seeing his ring. However, she loses the ring while travelling, leading to much misunderstanding , suffering and pain. The lovers do get united after a gap of years and their son, Bharat, laid the foundation of modern India.
The film opens like a Disney film. A stork is shown flying a crying baby swaddled in cloth. The baby is adopted by rishi Kanav (Sachin Khedekar) and grows up to a beautiful maiden named Shakuntala (Samantha Ruth Prabhu). Samantha is like a Disney princess. The small and big animals of the forest adore her and even the plants and trees communicate with her in their own way. She’s totally smitten by King Dushyant (Dev Mohan), when he barges into her idyllic world. Everything is hunky dory, till she’s cursed by Durvasa (Mohan Babu). She undergoes lots of hardships before the happy ending takes place. Dev Mohan also gets a chance to flex his muscles in between and fights droves of Asurs, helping his friend king of gods Indra (Jisshu Sen Gupta), wipe out the demons.
Gunashekar is a competent enough director so one can’t figure out why he’s mounted the film as a play. The excessive gestures, the bombastic dialogue and the unnecessary melodrama doesn’t do justice to a story of thwarted love. The narration is so over the top that you unintentionally laugh at the proceedings. For Hindi viewers, the atrocious translation from Telugu further plays spoilsport. The song lyrics, especially, get totally lost in the translation. The overall impact of the film diminishes because of the above reasons. The film’s rendering of animals and birds is top class in some frames and dips below par in some.
Instead of going for a dubbed version, the director should have released the film all over India with subtitles. At least then the singularity of the film wouldn’t have been trifled with. The present attempt looks too archaic and stilted. And there is a lack of chemistry between Samantha and Dev Mohan. That further erodes the film’s appeal. Samantha gamely tries to bring gravitas to the film. She looks ethereal as Shakuntala but even her grace and beauty aren’t enough to elevate the film. The most endearing portions of the film take place when Allu Arha, Allu Arjun’s young daughter, comes on screen. She plays young Bharat and her interactions with Dev Mohan and Samantha bring the film alive.
Trailer : Shaakuntalam Shaakuntalam Shaakuntalam
Dhaval Roy, April 14, 2023, 1:31 PM IST
3.0/5
Story: Based on Kalidasa’s Abhijnana Shakuntalam, this is the love story of King Dushyant and sage Vishwakarma and Menaka’s daughter Shakuntala. Sage Durvasa’s curse makes Dushyant forget all about Shakuntala until the spell breaks and the two reunite.
Review: In this movie, one of the most revered poems by ancient Indian poet Kalidasa is retold on a grand scale. Whether the dreamlike milieu when Shakuntala (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) and Dushyant (Dev Mohan) romance or the stark backdrop of war sequences, the production and visual appeal have been dialled up in a big way. The film quickly displays its CGI and action prowess when Dushyant valiantly saves a village from wild beasts, including tigers and wolves. The viewers are then introduced to Shakuntala and Dushyant’s love story in the high dynamic range, with an uber-colourful forest replete with butterflies, peacocks, deer and flora. The film does not lose its grip on grandiosity, including in the stop-motion animation of mythological backstories.
While you marvel at the visuals, the VFX, Ashok Kumar’s art direction and Joseph V Sekhar’s cinematography in creating the mythological world, the overall storytelling is a tad underwhelming. It covers a series of events, but director Gunasekhar does not venture too boldly in terms of the narrative. The chronicle is a bit too straightforward for all the grand scale and cinematic experience. Mani Sharma’s rich melodies, from the soothing ‘Mallika Mallika’ to the romantic ‘Madhur Kal Tu,’ are in tune with the film’s cinematic experience.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu looks divine as the flower-laden girl and in all the finery as the queen. Whether an innocent, doe-eyed beauty, a hapless and helpless wife being targeted or an indignant woman, her expressions are on point in each scene. Dev Mohan delivers a powerful performance as a righteous king, a fearless warrior and a pining lover. He aces the action sequences as adeptly as he slips into a gentle lover’s garb. Madhoo has a cameo as Menaka and in the short screen time, she looks exquisite and has an impactful role.
In the film, one also gets glimpses of many anecdotes from our bountiful mythology. Although this is primarily a love story, much is said about the divine purpose in Shakuntala’s agony. Besides seeing her as a lovelorn woman, it would have been interesting to see her single-handedly raising their son in the sage Kashyap’s (Kabir Bedi) hermitage.
Releasing in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada, Shaakuntalam’s cinematic experience will be best enjoyed in theatres. The opulent sets, elaborate war sequences, and ostentatious costumes will transport you to the abundant world of mythicism.
