‘Shaakuntalam’ director Gunasekhar: ‘I wanted to tell a story of love and values’

Gunasekhar (right), the director of the Samantha-starrer Telugu film 'Shaakuntalam', which released on April 14.

Telugu director Gunasekhar made his debut in 1992 with the film Laati, in 1997, he made a film called Ramayanam and picked up a National Award for it. He's made 13 films in 30 years, across genres, and has worked with actors like Chiranjeevi, Allu Arjun, Rana Daggubati, Mahesh Babu, Ravi Teja, and others. His latest, Shaakutalam, a mythological drama based on Abhijnanashakuntalam from Adi Parvam, stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Dev Mohan, and is produced by Neelima Guna and Dil Raju. In this interview to Moneycontrol, Gunasekhar, 58, talks about why he wanted to make a film on Shakuntala, why increasingly historical and mythological films are for the good, and how SS Rajamouli's RRR's global success has put the spotlight on the Telugu film industry. Edited excerpts:

Today, in the universe of true-crime documentaries on OTTs to action films, where does a classic love story like Shaakuntalam stand? You always wanted to make a film on this story? Why so? 

Shaakuntalam is a movie that has only love and good values. It has its place in the world of cinema. People are indeed watching different types of content on OTT. The same people will also watch Shaakuntalam as it is a classic film. Shaakuntalam has been portrayed as a romantic tale and Shakuntala has a lot of power within, as Kalidasugaru (Kalidasa) had written in his Abhijnanashakuntalam. The original was written as a seven-actor play based on the story of Shakuntala and Dushyanta from the Adi Parvam of the Mahabharata. This tale is so famous that people do music shows on it abroad. I liked the way he portrayed the characters and felt like the youngsters out there will connect. And yes, I wanted to make a film out of it.

In what ways is your film different from Kalidasa’s Sanskrit epic poem and from the earlier/older films adapted from it?

It stays true to the original. Also, the films already made, every director has his way of making. My aim was to tell the story in a beautiful visual format with some amazing performers.

You have been in the industry since 1992, over 30 years, but you have made only 13 films. Is there any particular reason for that?

Filmmaking is my passion which became my profession. I do not look at the number of films I made or make. I look at the content I deliver through my films. So, I take time to choose and write stories. My films have huge sets and canvas of visuals which consume a lot of time in pre-production and post-production.

For the last five years, you’ve been working on Hiranyakashyap. Many people have been waiting for this movie to release. Is it true that it’s been shelved? If so, why?

Earlier, I worked on Hiranyakashyap's script for five years with the idea that we can tell stories that excite us in an exciting way to people. I worked on the script for two years and did pre-production for three years. Everything is done. And when the only thing left to do was to shoot for the movie, COVID had other plans. At the same time, the Hollywood company that was working with us is busy with another work. So, we have put the project on hold.

You made commercial films, routine dramas and now you are making period and mythological dramas. Why this change?

I wanted to work on a compact love story during the lockdown period. When I say love story, I meant about the loves stories from mythologies and the history. In that sequence, Abhijnanashakuntalam attracted me. Why socialise it? I started making it the way it already existed.

Shaakuntalam, like your Ramayanam, revisits the early years of Indian cinema which saw many epic and mythologies being recreated for the screen. What is it about period films and mythological stories that draw the public into theatres and has made you shift your gears? Is it because historical/mythological films mean a box-office success?

Mythological films and films about history are something that attract the audiences to the theaters because they have the ability to. People would want to know about them, for the sake of their future generations, too. It is important to tell such stories to people. Period films help us tell the stories that are already known and existing. We are taking them to the audiences with the visuals and, so, people would love to watch them.

Increasingly filmmakers are making historical films which are being seen as a means of rousing the audience's feeling of patriotism and nationalism. As a filmmaker, who’s making historical/mythological films, how would you respond to that?

It is for good. These films help us tell the stories in a better way. I look at it as a change for good.

How as a director will you ensure that you are not typecast as making only a single-genre films?

Like you asked in a previous questions, I made only 13 films on 30 years. I made historical films, period dramas, mythologies, mass entertainers, love stories, commercial dramas which talk about brother and sister bonding and all. I explored, and will be exploring different kinds of scripts for sure. It is important for directors to explore genres keeping the interest of audiences in mind and the trend as well.

Shaakuntalam is touted to be a visual spectacle. Are you wary of the fact that the CGI used in recreating the animals in your film will be compared with the popular scene from Rajamouli’s recent global-favourite RRR?

I am aware of it. Comparisons are quite common. But every film is special in its own way.

RRR has put Telugu cinema on the global map. Do you think Telugu cinema is, at last, getting all the credit it deserves? As a Telugu-film director how do you look at the phenomena and what kind of doors has it opened for filmmakers like you and the industry here?

Telugu cinema, finally, is getting all the credit it deserves. There is a lot more to come in the near future. This change has definitely opened doors for a number of opportunities for young filmmakers especially. International cinema has eyes on Telugu film industry as we have some amazing performers here. This phenomena is huge and something we all can bank on.

Tell us about casting Malayalam actor Dev Mohan in his first Telugu role. Weren’t any male Telugu actors available to play Dushyanth?

The character of Dushyanth has many shades. So, our heroes don't agree to play such roles but Dev Mohan came forward. We didn't ask our Telugu heroes because I don't want to listen to a 'no' after asking them. If Dev Mohan was not ready for it, we would have asked our heroes. He was ready to give enough time for the film and said he is not committed to any other project till this one is finished. He was trained well to play Dushyanth and did it well, too.

You are a producer, too. Do you think it is high time producers invested in the story/content and not went by the face value of the lead actor, which has been a followed practice in the film industry here? 

It is definitely important to invest in the script. But at the same time, when you are investing a huge amount in the story, and then it is releasing in the theatres, it is important to have a face that can bring the audiences to the theatres. So, that is where the face value becomes the game changer. Face value of the lead actors is important for theatrical releases and box-office collections.

Samantha is a modern, glamorous heroine known for her romantic roles/films and has a separate fan base. You’ve said that you wanted to make Shaakuntala only with Samantha. Why so? Weren’t you sceptical while choosing her for the titular role?

Samantha has done different characters in her previous films. She has done ultramodern characters as well. I wanted to show her play a character that has a classical touch and body language. We have ensured that while maintaining the classical standards, the character of Shakuntala can connect with today's generation as well. I met Aruna Bhikshu (professor of dance at the University of Hyderabad) in that process. I, Aruna Bhikshu and Samantha worked together and designed the character. Samantha was trained to step into the shoes of Shakuntala.

Telugu cinema has almost always been male-centric, there are very few films where the woman is the main lead. Keerthy Suresh’s Mahanati (2018) comes to mind. Why aren’t more women-oriented roles/films being written in the Telugu cinema, unlike in Malayalam, Marathi and some Tamil films?

I think it is the audiences who decide what works and what doesn’t work. But now, we are seeing a change in the way films are made and scripts are chosen. There were definitely many women-centric films that were made in Telugu industry as well. It is only now that the latest ones are taking the limelight because of greater media exposure.