With Shaakuntalam set to hit the theatres on Friday, Samantha and the team had been visiting different cities to promote their film. While the actor was supposed to attend MLRIT's annual day event on Wednesday to [promote her film, she revealed that she could not make it as she is down with fever.

In a tweet, she wrote,"I was really excited to be amongst you all this week promoting my film and soaking in your love. Unfortunately, the hectic schedules and promotions have taken toll, and I am down with a fever and have lost my voice. Please join team Shaakuntalam at the Annual Day Event of MLRIT this evening…will miss you." (sic) 

Written and directed by Gunasekhar, Shaakuntalam is a cinematic adaptation of Kalidasa's play Abhignyana Shakuntalam. The film stars Samantha in the titular role of Shakuntala, with Malayalam actor Dev Mohan playing the role of Prince Dushyanta. The film also features Mohan Babu, Ananya Nagalla, Gautami and Aditi Balan. Shaakuntalam is produced by Gunasekhar’s daughter, Neelima Guna and distributed by Dil Raju. Veteran music director Mani Sharma has composed the music for the film, with Sekhar V Joseph and Prawin Pudi handling cinematography and editing, respectively. Shaakuntalam will release in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.