The Entire Credit for 'Shaakuntalam' Goes To Dil Raju, Says Gunasekhar

‘Shaakuntalam’ director Gunasekhar talked about the people who made the movie possible

Samantha and Dev Mohan are all set to essay the roles of queen ‘Shakuntala’ and king ‘Dushyant’ in the upcoming Gunasekhar directorial Shaakuntalam. The film is produced by Neelima Guna and presented by Dil Raju. On January 9, the makers of ‘Shaakuntalam’ held a trailer launch event. 

At the event, Gunasekhar said there are three heroes in ‘Shaakuntalam’, “Dev Mohan is the film's hero while Samantha is the script's hero, and Dil Raju is the hero behind the scenes.”

Samantha, known for her ultra-modern-looking characters, has a complete transformation in this movie. Gunasekhar revealed that his choice to cast her as ‘Shakuntala’ was met with skepticism. However, he added, “She flawlessly embodied a village girl in Rangasthalam, so why can’t she embody Shakuntala?”

When he approached Samantha with the script, she had one question, “How many crores does this movie require?” That’s where Dil Raju stepped in. Gunasekhar revealed that Dil Raju's confidence in his filmmaking was invaluable to the movie. Apparently, Dil Raju expressed his unwavering support for Gunasekhar by saying, “I believe in the content, in your dream. Please do not compromise on any aspect of filmmaking, i will back you up.” The entire credit for this film goes to Dil Raju, said Gunasekhar. 

‘Shaakuntalam’ is slated for release on February 17, 2023.