Samantha Akkineni starrer Shaakuntalam officially launched, shoot to resume soon

Gunasekhar’s mythological drama Shaakuntalam, which sees Samantha Akkineni in the titular role, was launched on Monday amid much fanfare.

The film’s team will resume shooting for the film next week and Samantha looked gorgeous in a saree as she graced the event. Addressing the media during the launch, she said, “I have done various kinds of roles in my decade-old career. From commercial films to thrillers, I have managed to explore all genres. I’ve always wished to play a princess and have been waiting for a film like Shaakuntalam all along. I am super-excited to be on-board for this project.”

Dev Mohan plays the male lead in the film as Dushyant, her paramour. Talking about the film, earlier Gunasekhar had said, “In the Aadiparva of

Mahabharata

, the story of Shaakuntalam and Dushyantha is the most interesting story. The film is going to be a screen adaptation of the play Abnignana Shaakunthalam which was written by Kalidas. It is one of the greatest love stories and the story is set in the backdrop of the Himalayas. During the lockdown, I decided to make this part of

Mahabharatam

as a movie.”

The movie is being jointly produced by Neelima Guna and Dil Raju. It is expected to hit the big screen next year and touted to be another big-budget film from

Tollywood

. After this Gunasekhar will team up with Rana Daggubati for

Hiranyakashyap

.