Dil Raju opens up on Shaakuntalam’s failure: It gave a jerk to my 25-year-long career in cinema

Dil Raju is a rare producer who exhibits great taste for cinema across all genres and has immense creative control over the films made under his banner Sri Venkateswara Creations. Samantha starrer Shaakuntalam was a film that he had high hopes on and felt it would reach out to family audiences and kids. However, it was a no show at the box office. In a chat with journalist Rajesh Manne on his show Tera Venuka Kathalu, he responded on its failure for the first time.

“If there was a movie that gave a jerk to my 25-year-old career in the industry, it was Shaakuntalam.I accept the fate of any film, there’s nothing to hide or deny there. When people like it, they spread the talk about the film; when they don’t do it, you realise it’s a misfire. You need to learn from your mistakes and check your judgement,” he said.

“I hosted a show for Shaakuntalam four days before release and I started receiving poor reviews the same evening. I realised I was wrong. In those days, I was very aware of the film’s fate. When I noticed the result on Friday, I was prepared. When you watch a film with crowds, you’ll have to form a judgement. If distributors are not calling you, you must know why,” Dil Raju added.

Shaakuntalam, directed by Gunasekhar, was made on a huge scale for a female-centric budget (believed to be over Rs 65 crore) and the makers spent lavishly to ensure a larger-than-life cinematic experience. Though Mani Sharma’s music and the performances of its lead actors - Samantha, Dev Mohan - drew praise, there was an undeniable disconnect with the storytelling among gen-Z audiences.

The epic drama was jointly produced by Dil Raju and Neelima Guna under Sri Venkateswara Creations and Gunaa Team Works and released in theatres on April 14.