Director Gunasekhar’s mythology for the millennials is a grand spectacle backed by an exquisite Samantha.
Cast: Samantha, Dev Mohan, Sachin Khedekar, Mohan Babu, Kabir Bedi, Madhoo, Gautami, Kabir Duhan Singh, Allu Arha
Director: Gunasekhar
Writers: Gunasekhar, Sai Madhav Burra (dialogues), Naresh Namdev (Hindi dialogues)
When a distressed Shakuntala (Samantha) expresses her fear of losing the love of her life after being abandoned by her parents as a baby, King Dushyant (Dev Mohan) tries to pacify her way and says, “Tum prem se vanchit nahi ho sakti Shakuntala, tum toh prem ki moorat ho.”
Well, Dushyant’s words did ring true as even centuries later, their epic love saga is considered to be one of the greatest classics in Indian literature.
What’s Yay: Samantha, Allu Arha, Joseph V. Sekhar’s cinematography.
What’s Nay: The dialogues in the Hindi dubbed version could have been better, the melodrama in certain portions
Story
The film opens with a bunch of ‘shakunta’ birds flying in the sky; one of them carrying a baby wrapped in a cloth. The newborn is the love child of a celestial nymph Menaka and Vishwamitra, a revered ascetic.
Left by the birds in a tree hollow, the abandoned baby is discovered by another sage, Rishi Kanva (Sachin Khedekar) who names her as ‘Shakuntala’ and raises her as his own child in his hermitage.
The grown-up Shakuntala (Samantha) is a beautiful maiden who spends most of her time with her best friends, Anasuya and Priyamvada in the lush green woodland. The animals and birds which reside there are also her close companions.
Shakuntala’s idyllic existence gets perturbed when the valiant king Dushyant (Dev Mohan) encounters her for the first time while travelling through the forest. They stare into each other’s eyes, oblivious of the beautiful surroundings. While he is enamored by her beauty, she too, feels a strong pull towards him.
Troubled with love and desire, Dushyant offers to marry Shakuntala as per Gandharva vivaah traditions. The latter agrees to his proposal. After consummating their wedding, Dushyant leaves for his kingdom, promising Shakuntala that he would soon return to escort her to his palace, as his lawfully wedded wife. Before leaving, he gives her his precious ring as a sign of his love.
Soon, Shakuntala discovers that she is pregnant. However, her hopes of reuniting with her beloved comes crashing down when she earns the wrath of a powerful saga, Rishi Durvasa who is known for his short temper. He curses her for disrespecting her when in reality, she is lost in her lover’s thoughts. Will Shakuntala and King Dushyant reunite? The rest of the film holds an answer to that.
Direction
Ever since cinema was born, Shakuntala, the heroine from one of the greatest love stories in Indian mythology has enamoured many filmmakers like Sadashiv Narayan Patankar, V Shantaram, Bhupen Hazarika, Shyam Benegal and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao to name a few. The latest one to bring a page from that rich text is Gunasekhar whose new directorial, Shaakuntalam is based on Kalidasa’s ‘Abhjnan Shakuntalam’.
While keeping the essence of the romantic legend intact, the filmmaker tries to make it appealing to the contemporary audience with his grand visuals backed by modern technology. It works most of the time except in places where the writing creaks a bit and melodrama seeps in. Like Gautam’s character says, you feel some disturbance in the peaceful abode.
Also, the Hindi dubbed dialogues have more misses than hits. A little more focus on this aspect would have enhanced the cinematic experience. You can feel the strain in Samantha’s voice in the Hindi dubbed version especially in places where her character has to say heavy, emotionally-charged dialogues.
Performances
Shaakuntalam is a true-blue costume drama and Samantha fits the bill to portray the titular character. Draped in Neeta Lulla’s fabrics made of organic cotton, chiffon, zari, silver, zardozi and gold, the actress looks breathtakingly beautiful in every frame. In terms of performance, be it portraying innocence, the first pangs of love or expressing her angst and grief, she lifts the film on her slender shoulders despite a few slip-ups.
Dev Mohan as the brave and righteous king Dushyant lets the spark in his eyes speak barring a few places where he stumbles a bit. He shares some alluring chemistry with Samantha.
Sachin Khedekar is convincing as Rishi Kanva. Madhoo gets a tad overdramatic. The rest of the cast including Mohan Babu, Kabir Bedi and Kabir Duhan Singh are decent in their respective parts. Allu Arha is the surprise package of the film. Like her superstar-father Allu Arjun, the six-year-old has a charming screen presence. She is a delight to watch.
Technical Aspects
Joseph V. Shekar’s stunning frames in vivid colors and Ashok Kumar’s rich art direction makes Shaakuntalam an epic watch. The VFX is a bit weak at some places, but the effective camerawork makes up for that. Prawin Pudi’s editing works fine.
Music
The album of Shaakuntalam has three songs- ‘Mallika Mallika’, ‘Rushimooniyon Ka’ and ‘Yelelo Yelelo’. Since the lyrics capture the events unfolding on screen, they fare well as a part of the narrative rather than as standalone tracks.
Verdict
“Shakuntala is born for a cause. She is about to make history,” says Rishi Kanva in one of the scenes in this period piece based on Kalidasa’s play. Likewise, Gunasekhar’s Shaakuntalam too, comes across as a sincere attempt to serve the audience some fascinating stories from Indian mythology with grandeur.
