The true essence of an epic movie lies in its screenplay, dialogues, and performances, not just in VFX. Recent films like Everything Everywhere All At Once, Stree, Andhadhund have proven that big budgets or superstars are not necessary to create a blockbuster. Directed by Gunasekhar, Shakuntalam depicts the epic love story of Maharaj Dhushyant and Shakuntala, who grew up in an ashram. However, despite the potential for thrilling challenges in their reunion, the mediocre screenplay fails to deliver, preventing the audience from experiencing the excitement. Additionally, in a time when strong female characters are appreciated, Samantha's portrayal of Shakuntala falls flat as a one-dimensional character with no distinct opinions of her own.
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Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Dev Mohan lead the film Shakuntalam, and they look the part with their somber charisma of royalty and divinity. However, the epicness of their love story is lacking. The movie starts with an infant being delivered to an ashram by storks, which is then adopted and brought up by Kanva Rishi (played by Sachin Khedekar). The infant is revealed to be the daughter of Vishwamitra and Menaka, raised in the wilderness surrounded by animals and nature.
As time passes, the king of the land comes across Shakuntala in the jungle and falls in love with her at first sight. They get to know each other, fall in love, and marry amidst nature. The king presents Shakuntala with his royal ring as a symbol of his love and promises to bring her to his kingdom one day. However, years go by and Shakuntala continues to wait for him, but he never shows up. Instead of exploring the otherworldly challenges the story presents, the makers take a route reminiscent of 80s TV shows and narrate the story."
The film relies heavily on characters narrating each other's backstories, from Shakuntala's to Durvasa Maharishi's (played by Mohan Babu). There are also instances where characters mutter their own thoughts out loud. While Dev Mohan and Shakuntala's performances capture the helplessness and pain of their characters in parts, the camera work and editing resort to outdated TV serial gimmicks instead of the dramatic representation it deserves.
Despite Samantha's strong presence, her character is treated with little respect. The makers fail to provide her character with opportunities to stand up for herself despite the challenges she faces in the story. The tension in the screenplay is lacking, and the VFX and music do not contribute positively to the story, but instead hinder the performances, leaving a negative impact overall.
Conclusion: Shakuntalam showcases that mythological stories can make a comeback if given proper treatment in pre and post-production. A standout aspect of the film is the debut performance of Allu Arjun's daughter, Allu Arha, who portrays the role of Prince Bharat with charm and captivates the audience."