''Shaakuntalam'' is an upcoming Indian

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

-language

historical film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

written and directed by Gunasekhar. It is produced by

Neelima Guna Neelima Guna is the elder daughter of Gunasekhar, Film Director and Producer, and Ragini Guna. Career Neelima Guna started her career as co-producer with the film Rudhramadevi(2015), starring Anushka Shetty in the titular role, Rana D ...

under Gunaa Teamworks and distributed by Sri Venkateswara Creations. Based on a popular play '' Abhigyanam Shakuntalam'' by Kalidasa, the film features

Samantha Samantha (or the alternatively Samanta) is primarily used as a feminine given name. It was recorded in England in 1633 in Newton Regis, Warwickshire. It was also recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its etymology is uncertain. Specu ...

in the titular role of

Shakuntala Shakuntala (Sanskrit: ''Śakuntalā'') is the wife of Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata. Her story is told in the '' Adi Parva'' of the ancient Indian epic ''Mahabharata'' and dramatized by many writers, the most famous adaption bein ...

and Dev Mohan as

Dushyanta Dushyanta ( sa, दुष्यन्त, translit=Duṣyanta) is a king of the Chandravamsha (Lunar) dynasty featured in Hindu literature. He is the husband of Shakuntala and the father of Bharata. He appears in the Mahabharata and in Kalid ...

, the king of Puru dynasty along with

Mohan Babu Manchu Bhakthavatsalam, credited and also known as Mohan Babu, is an Indian actor and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. An alumnus of the Madras Film Institute, Mohan Babu has acted in more than 500 films in lead, sup ...

Jisshu Sengupta Jisshu Ujjwal Sengupta (born 15 March 1977) is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter. who predominantly works in Bengali, Hindi and Telugu films. Sengupta made his debut through a Bengali TV series, '' Mahaprabhu'' where he portraye ...

Madhoo Madhoo Shah (Madhubala) (born Padma Malini; 26 March 1969) is an Indian actress known for her works predominantly in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada language films. She was a part of Movies like ''Phool Aur Kaante'' (1991), ''Roja' ...

Gautami Gautami Tadimalla (born 2 July 1969), known mononymously as Gautami, is an Indian actress and politician who has worked mainly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films in addition to Hindi, and Kannada films. She was one of the leading South India ...

Aditi Balan Aditi Balan is an Indian actress, dancer and model who works in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. She is best known for her role as Aruvi in the film ''Aruvi''. After the completion of her law degree in Chennai, she appeared in an brief role ...

and

Ananya Nagalla Ananya Nagalla (born Anusha Nagalla) is an Indian actress who appears in Telugu films. She made her debut in the 2019 film '' Mallesham'' and went onto appear in films such as ''Play Back'' (2021) and '' Vakeel Saab'' (2021). She was nominated ...

in supporting roles. The project was announced in October 2020 by Gunasekhar. The film's production began in February 2021 at Annapurna Studios in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

and ended in August 2021. The film was shot extensively around Hyderabad, including

Ramoji Film City Ramoji Film City is an integrated film studio facility located in Hyderabad, India. Spread over 1,666 acres (674 ha), it is the largest film studio complex in the world and as such has been certified by the Guinness World Records. It was estab ...

Ananthagiri Hills Ananthagiri Hills is located in Vikarabad district, Telangana, India. The water flows from these hills to Osman Sagar, also known as Gandipet lake, and Himayathsagar. It is one of the dense forests in Telangana. Ananthagiri Temple is locat ...

, and

Gandipet Lake Osman Sagar is a reservoir in the Indian city of Hyderabad. The lake is around 46 km², and the reservoir is around 29 km², with total level of 1,790 feet and a capacity of 3.9 tmc ft. History Osman Sagar was created by damming the M ...

. ''Shaakuntalam'' is scheduled to be released on 17 February 2023.

Cast

* Samantha Ruth Prabhu as

* Dev Mohan as

as Durvasa Maharishi *

as Anasuya *

as Priyamvada *

Prakash Raj Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam-language films, he is the recipient of several ...

as Gautamil *

as Menaka *

as Indra deva *

Sachin Khedekar Sachin Khedekar (born 14 May 1965) is an Indian actor and director known for his work in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Gujarati language films. His well-known films include '' Kaksparsh'', '' Astitva'' and Shyam Benegal's '' Neta ...

Kabir Bedi Kabir Bedi ( pa, ਕਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਬੇਦੀ; born 16 January 1946) is an Indian actor. His career has spanned three continents covering India, the United States and especially Italy among other European countries in three media: f ...

Kabir Duhan Singh Kabir Duhan Singh (born 8 September 1986 in Gohana, Haryana) is an Indian actor, who appears in Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil language films. After making his debut in the Telugu film '' Jil'' (2015), Kabir has carved out a career as an antagonis ...

as King

Asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indian religions, Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Deva (Hinduism), Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhism, Buddhi ...

*Allu Arha as Prince Bharata *

Varshini Sounderajan Shamili Sounderajan, known professionally as Varshini Sounderajan, is an Indian actress, model, and television presenter who appears in Telugu films. She made her acting debut in anthology film ''Chandamama Kathalu'' (2014). Early life and c ...

*Malhottra Shivam as Mahipala

Production

Development

In 2017, director Gunasekhar announced a magnum opus ''Hiranya Kashyapa'' with Rana Daggubati as the lead. The film was based on the famous historical epic tale of the

Hiranyakashipu Hiranyakashipu (; also known as Hiranyakashyap) was an Asura king of the ''daityas'' from the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism. His name literally translates to "clothed in gold" (''hiranya'' "gold" ''kashipu'' "soft cushion"), and is often inte ...

. In October 2020, the director announced that the pre-production of Hiranya Kashyapa was completed during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the shooting process of the film will not start in the near future. Later in November, Gunasekher announced the film based on Kalidasa's 4th century play ''Shakuntala'' which tells the story of the legendary princess

and king

Casting

Soon after the announcement, reports suggested that the makers have approached actress Anushka Shetty for the lead role of Shakuntala after the collaboration of the actress and director Gunasekhar in the 2015 historical drama, ''Rudhramadevi'' which did not materialize. During December 2020, actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu was confirmed to be cast as the lead actress to portray

. Later in the year,

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

actor Dev Mohan and

actress

Eesha Rebba Eesha Rebba (born 19 April 1990) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Telugu films. She is known for her roles in ''Anthaka Mundu Aa Tarvatha'' (2013), '' Bandipotu'' (2015), ''Oyee'' (2016), '' Ami Thumi'' (2017), ''Darsakudu'' (20 ...

were approached for the film, with Mohan reportedly playing Dushyant and

supposed character unknown. In March 2021, media mentioned that Rebba has walked out of the project due to several reason. In March 2021, Samantha has taken her social media to announce that Dev Mohan is officially a part of the project as Dushyant. Veteran actor

was also cast in the film. He was reportedly playing the hot-tempered Durvasa Maharishi and

was replacing Rebba in the film. Reports came around that the director will be approaching Jr NTR's son Abhay Ram or

Allu Arjun Allu Arjun (born 8 April 1982) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films. One of the highest paid actors in India, Arjun is also known for his extraordinary dancing skills. He is a recipient of several awards, including six Filmfare Award ...

's son Allu Ayaan to feature in as

's son Bharata, but

's daughter Allu Arha is having her maiden debut in this production as said character. Actress

confirmed of being a part in the film through an interview while actress

also joined the cast.

also joined the cast to play the role of King

Filming

The film is set in the Northern of India in the backdrop of

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain tex ...

, parts of

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

and the banks of

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

. Makers have signed art director Ashok Kolarath to handle the set. The team has also hired National Awardee fashion designer Neeta Lulla who has also worked with Gunasekhar in ''Rudhramadevi''. The pooja and the principal photography of Shaakuntalam was kickstarted on 15 March 2021 at Annapurna Studios. It was revealed that Sekhar V. Joseph and Bishwadeep Chatterjee was also signed in for the project to handle the

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

and

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...

for the film respectively. The first schedule of filming was started on late March with Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Dev Mohan and Aditi Balan at Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad. But due to the second wave of

COVID-19 pandemic in India The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , according to Indian government figures, India has the second-highest n ...

, the shooting was halted towards the end of June. During an interview, Gunasekhar has stated that almost 50% of filming has been completed on late June. The shooting will be recommenced during the end of June back at Annapurna Studios, then later in

. Reportedly, Samantha Ruth Prabhu joined the second schedule of filming along with Dev Mohan and

. Several scenes were shot in

and Vikarabad Forests with actor Dev Mohan. Several scenes were shot in

in July 2021. The filming was finished on the last week of August 2021 at Annapurna Studios.

Post-production

The visual and graphics department is handled by industry professional Alagarsamy Maayan, with talents from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

working on the VFX to get the visualisation right. Director Gunasekhar has confirmed that the post production might be longer than 10 months, considering the vision of the director to be met. Samantha completed her dubbing portions in April 2022.She is dubbing for herself in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

and

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

. The makers reported in January 2022 that Allu Arha had completed the dubbing for her role for the film.

Soundtrack

Release

''Shaakuntalam'' was scheduled to be released theatrically on 4 November 2022 alongside dubbed versions in

and

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

but was later postponed due to the film being chosen to be converted into 3D format. The film in 3D format is scheduled for release on 17 February 2023 in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages.

References

External links

* {{Shakuntala Upcoming Telugu-language films Hindu mythological films Films shot in Hyderabad, India Indian films based on plays Films scored by Mani Sharma Films directed by Gunasekhar Sri Venkateswara Creations films Upcoming films Films shot in Telangana Films shot at Ramoji Film City Films based on works by Kalidasa Works based on Shakuntala (play) Indian 3D films