Shaakuntalam first reviews: Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Allu Arha steal the show

Shaakuntalam is the most ambitious movie in Samantha Ruth Prabhu's career. And producer Dil Raju took a bold step ahead of its release. Before the movie's official opening in cinemas on Friday, he held a special premiere screening in Hyderabad. 

Despite concerns that mixed reviews could affect the opening weekend, Raju was confident in the film and ready to deal with any "consequences."

Also Read: Shaakuntalam producer Dil Raju: 'Mahesh Babu's Spyder, Pawan Kalyan's Agnyaathavaasi were huge disasters, could've ended my career...'

"I'm trying to adopt the practices of Hollywood studios," said Raju. "Once a Hollywood studio completes the production of a movie, they won't worry about financial matters, they have special screenings before its full release. Even before releasing in America, Hollywood films are screened in India. I'm trying to implement that pattern."

The film stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead role, and Raju was full of praise for her performance. "Samantha has killed it with her performance," he said. 

Shaakuntalam, which is inspired by Indian mythology, also marks the screen debut of Allu Arha , the daughter of popular Telugu actor Allu Arjun. Many have praised her performance in the film.

Samantha shared a promo video from the premiere screening of the movie on Twitter. In the video, the audience can be seen applauding enthusiastically, indicating their appreciation for the film.

The positive response from the audience suggests that the movie has been well-received at the premiere, which could bode well for its wide opening in cinemas this Friday.

Here are a few reactions that the movie received following its premiere in Hyderabad. 

Filmmaker Gunasekhar has adapted the mythological epic Shakuntala for the big screen. Besides Samantha and Arha, the movie also stars Dev Mohan, Mohan Babu, Jisshu Sengupta, Madhoo, Gautami, Aditi Balan and Ananya Nagalla in supporting roles.