Shankuntalam Review - Enthusiastic costume roleplay with absolutely no stuff.

Meera Chithirapaavai

Director Gunashekar’s Shakuntalam is an attempt to retell the epic story of King Dushyanth and the love of his life, Shakuntala. One has no choice but to accept the story for what it is but did the filmmakers do their bit to make this an engageable watch?

Samantha as the damsel in distress does look ravishing. Her serene avatar as Shankuntala could have just ended as a themed fashion exhibit of great costumes and accessories. But the risky attempt to make a full-fledged film out of this wish to “dress up” is a blunder.

The attempt could have worked if the makers had cracked the knack to tell an age-old epic story to the millennial world. The knack Mani Ratnam and Rajamouli have flaunted through films like Baahubali and PS.

As the film commences one hopes this could be our own version of a Disney movie that kids would be obsessed with. After all, it’s the summer vacation season. Unfortunately, the film neither stays understandable for the kids nor takes a mature demeanor to appeal to the adults.

The manner in which the story has been re-told and handled indicates confusion and signs of lost focus. While the proceedings of the film have many fantasy-based elements, the performance of the actors could have been the anchor that adds realism. It is sad to see how the actors didn’t jump at the opportunity to do so. Rather every performance seems like a poorly rehearsed school drama.

The decision to keep a lot of the story for the second half seems like an unnecessary move as the runtime towards the end does get tiring. Films of this genre often get saved by great music and BGM. Poor Shankuntalam gets no support from the music department too. From the picturization of the songs to the genre of the songs, a lot is left for the viewer to complain about.

The film runs in 3D. The extravagant setup and the effort put towards experiential viewing are appreciable. However, finesse in the final product is missing.

One hopes the filmmakers had the same passion for the story as they had in picturizing Samantha’s wholesome beauty. Shankuntalam - what could have been an epic on the screen turns out to become a mere Tollywood costume party.

Shankuntalam - Enthusiastic costume roleplay with absolutely no stuff.

1.5/5