Shaakuntalam

Gunashekar brings on screen the tale of Abhignyana Shakuntalam and completely fails in doing justice. He is bogged down by his own outdated narrative. While narrating a known story, there should be a tad bit of freshness to it at the very least which was completely missing here like the non-existing chemistry between Samantha and Dev Mohan. The only believable character turned out to be Durvasa Muni played by Mohan Babu.

The narrative is poor and slow paced along with the tacky visuals, the film simply tests the patience of the viewers who might even find the dialect bit too hard to digest. This adaptation would work only if the audience buy into the premise and connect to the characters. The songs were forgettable. The introduction of the villains and the final battle simply prolonged the story. The VFX was simply that below par.

As far as the performances go, Samantha as Shakuntala and Dev Mohan as Dushyant have tried to be as earnest as they can but they simply don't fit these characters to make their love story believable or even have any impact. The supporting cast especially the ones like Shiva Balaji used for comic relief, went over the top. I am harsh but even if I try to be lenient, there isn't a single thing in this film that stands out.