Samantha Ruth Prabhu reveals overcoming self-doubt to play Shakuntala in upcoming film "Shaakuntalam"

South sensation Samantha Ruth Prabhu is gearing up for the release of her upcoming next Shaakuntalam. The actress recently opened up about her apprehensions about playing the titular role of Shakuntala in the film. At the trailer launch press conference in Mumbai, Samantha revealed that she had initially turned down the role as she did not have the confidence to portray the character often described as the "symbol of perfection".

Samantha cited her love for Disney films and the fact that she was already busy with her role in "The Family Man 2" as reasons for her initial hesitation. However, she later decided to take up the challenge after speaking to the film's producer, Dil Raju, who believed in her abilities. Samantha, who has been taking on diverse roles in recent years, saw "Shaakuntalam" as a unique opportunity to play a character she had dreamt of as a child.

The actress said, "Since childhood, Disney has been my favourite genre. Irrespective of whether I am happy or sad, I would watch Disney films. So, I did not have confidence that I could play Shakuntala, a princess, a symbol of perfection."

For the unversed, the film retells Kalidasa's celebrated Sanskrit play "Abhijnana Shakuntalam" and tells the story of Shakuntala and King Dushyant's epic love affair. Dev Mohan, who rose to fame with the Malayalam film "Sufiyum Sujatayum", plays the role of King Dushyant in the movie. Speaking at the trailer launch, Dev expressed his joy at making his pan-India debut with "Shaakuntalam" and praised Samantha for helping him with the Telugu language. The film is set to release in theatres on April 14 and has generated a lot of buzz among Samantha and Telugu cinema fans.