| Shaakuntalam | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gunasekhar |
| Screenplay by | Gunasekhar |
| Dialogue by | |
| Story by | Kalidasa |
| Based on | Shakuntala by Kalidasa |
| Produced by | Neelima Guna |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Sekhar V. Joseph |
| Edited by | Prawin Pudi |
| Music by | Mani Sharma |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | AA Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 142 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹65 crore[2] |
| Box office | est. ₹20 crore[3] |
Shaakuntalam is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language historical romantic drama film[4] written and directed by Gunasekhar. It is produced by Neelima Guna under Gunaa Teamworks and distributed by Sri Venkateswara Creations. Based on a popular play Abhignyana Shakuntalam by Kalidasa, the film features Samantha in the title role of Shakuntala and Dev Mohan as Dushyanta, the king of Puru dynasty along with Mohan Babu, Jisshu Sengupta, Madhoo, Gautami, Aditi Balan and Ananya Nagalla in supporting roles. In the film, Shakuntala and King Dushyant marry, but Dushyant forgets all about Shakuntala due to a sage's curse.
The project was announced in October 2020 by Gunasekhar. The film's production began in February 2021 at Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad and ended in August 2021. The film was made on a budget of ₹65 crore.[2][5] It is shot extensively around Hyderabad, including Ramoji Film City, Ananthagiri Hills, and Gandipet Lake.
Shaakuntalam was theatrically released on 14 April 2023 to negative reviews from critics and was a box office failure.[6]
- ^ "Shaakuntalam". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Shaakuntalam box office collection Day 4: Samantha's film suffers steep fall, heading towards a disaster". India Today. 20 April 2023. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
This is a worrying trend as the film was made on a huge budget of nearly Rs 65 crore.
- ^ "On Day 3, Samantha Ruth Prabhu's Shaakuntalam Remains An Underperformer". 17 April 2023. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Samantha to headline Gunasekhar's 'Shakuntalam'". The Hindu. 2 January 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ Sekhar, Guna (21 March 2023). Director Guna Sekhar Exclusive Interview | Shaakuntalam | Samantha | greatandhra.com. Interviewed by VSN Murthy. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Samantha's Shaakunatalam is a big jerk in my career, says producer Dil Raju on film's failure". Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.