Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu was the only choice for the upcoming mythological drama Shaakuntalam, the director of the film, Gunasekhar revealed while promoting the film. The film’s team interacted with media, influencers and fans on Monday, April 10, in a series of different promotional events. The film is set to release in theatres on April 14. 

Director Gunasekhar added that he kept Samantha in mind while penning the script of the historical drama. Elaborating on the same, Gunasekhar said: "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 filmmaker also said he believes that Samantha is perfect for the role 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 with inner strength, who depicts her emotions with dignity and shows 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", he added.

Meanwhile, Samantha said that she has had to face extraordinary circumstances in her life, which made her show her strength in the film. She added that she did not allow those circumstances to destroy her.

Shaakuntalam will be released on April 14 in cinemas in five languages including Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil. Apart from Samantha, the movie stars Dev Mohan, Mohan Babu, Madhoo, Allu Arha and Aditi Balan among others. While Gunasekhar’s daughter Neelima Guna has produced Shaakuntalam, producer Dil Raju later joined hands with Gunaa Teamworks to distribute the film. 

With IANS inputs