While we all are waiting for Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s mythological drama Shaakuntalam to hit the big screens, the actress recently shared some rather surprising information about the high awaited film. Revealing that she originally declined the film offer, Samantha explained that she eventually accepted the project to confront the fears that have haunted her for the last three years.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu on rejecting Shaakuntalam
Opening up about why she initially declined Shaakuntalam, the actress shared that she felt she wasn’t ready to play such a role. “The offer came to me at a time when I had just completed shooting for The Family Man 2. I had just played Raji, a character so different from Shakuntala in so many ways. Shakuntala is a symbol of purity, innocence, grace and dignity. Raji, on the other hand, was all about being gritty and real. I wasn’t sure if I could transform into Shakuntala at the point,” Samantha revealed.
However, she ultimately signed the project because she saw it as an opportunity to face her fears. Sharing that she has lived in a lot of fear over the past 3 years, Samantha said, “Shakuntala faced so much hardship but she faced all of it with dignity and grace. When I learnt about it, I took up the offer to confront my fears. How I confronted my fear in the last three years describes my evolution as an actor.”
Furthermore, Samantha described her role in Shaakuntalam as the closest she could get to her dream of playing a ‘Disney princess.’
Directed by Gunasekhar, Shaakuntalam is based on a popular play Abhignyana Shakuntalam by Kalidasa. Scheduled to hit the big screens on April 14, the film features Samantha as Shakuntala and Dev Mohan as Dushyanta along with Mohan Babu, Jisshu Sengupta, Madhoo, Gautami, Aditi Balan and Ananya Nagalla.
