‘Didn’t have confidence to play a princess on screen’

Mumbai: Samantha Ruth Prabhu said that she had initially turned down the offer to headline the upcoming film ‘Shaakuntalam’ as she didn’t have the confidence to pull off the mythological character often described as the ‘symbol of perfection’.

The Telugu film, based on Kalidasa’s acclaimed Sanskrit play ‘Abhijnana Shakuntalam’, is set to release in theatres on April 14.

Billed as a whimsical tale, ‘Shaakuntalam’ revolves around the epic love story of Shakuntala (Samantha) and King Dushyant, played by Dev Mohan of ‘Sufiyum Sujatayum’ fame.

After playing a gritty role in the second season of ‘The Family Man’, Samantha said she was scared to step into the world of ‘Shaakuntalam’.

“I had first said no because I was doing ‘The Family Man 2’, in which I had a real role. 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 and a symbol of perfection. I was scared. In the last three years, I have taken on a lot of challenges. Then I spoke to the producer, Dil Raju, who had a lot of confidence in me. I thought of taking it up as a challenge because it is my only chance to play a role that I dreamt of as a child,” the 35-year-old actor told reporters.

She was speaking at the trailer launch press conference for ‘Shaakuntalam’.

Asked if life had changed since ‘The Family Man 2’ and the hit song ‘Oo Antava Oo Oo Antava’ from ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, Samantha said, “Somebody has to tell my dogs that I am a pan-India star. I don’t think it has changed at all. I am only a star till 6 pm and after that, my life is extremely normal. Nothing has changed in my head at least.”

She is grateful to have received diverse work opportunities, including the Indian chapter of the ‘Prime Video’ series ‘Citadel’, the actor said.

“I didn’t expect I would come this far. I feel very privileged with the kind of roles that I am doing. Like, I am working on ‘Citadel’ and every day was exhilarating and so fulfilling. I am so happy. It is tough. But yet, it is so fulfilling for a woman to do action and not have a hero save her all the time. So, it is great. It is a new phase for me and I am enjoying it,” she added.