Gunasekhar: Samantha was our only choice for Shaakuntalam

Director Gunasekhar, best known for his films Choodalani Vundi, Sogasu Chooda Tharamaa and Rudhramadevi, is gearing up for his next release on April 14.  Shaakuntalam, starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu as the eponymous character. The director revealed that he penned the script while keeping Samantha as his only choice to portray the titular character. 

"When I wanted to make the eternal love story of Shakuntala and Dushyant in an interesting backdrop of a beautiful, whimsical forest, much like a forest princess in a Disney kind of film, I wanted someone who could be relatable to the millennial audiences, and felt Samantha would be apt for this film and approached her."

The director also opined that Samantha fitted the role perfectly and that no one could have essayed it better than her, "The film traces the emotional journey of a woman who falls in love and the challenges fate throws at her. She's a character of inner strength who depicts her emotions with dignity and grace in all that she does. Her truth is her strength, all these emotions can only be portrayed by a wonderful performer like Samantha, and she was our only choice to be able to create this epic",

Shaakuntalam is a cinematic adaption of Kalidasa's play Abhignyana Shakuntalam. Apart from Samantha, the film also features Dev Mohan, Mohan Babu, Ananya Nagalla, Gautami and Aditi Balan, among others. 

The film is produced by Gunasekhar's daughter, Neelima Guna, and distributed by Dil Raju. Veteran music director Mani Sharma has composed the music for Shaakuntalam, with Sekhar V Joseph and Prawin Pudi handling cinematography and editing, respectively. Shaakuntalam will release in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.