The movie earned Rs 3 crore nett in India for all languages on its opening day.
The movie made a slow, but decent debut at the box office, earning Rs 3 crore nett in India for all languages on its opening day.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s latest movie, Shaakuntalam, released on April 14 to much applause. Audiences were impressed by the stunning visuals and Samantha’s portrayal of the titular character, Shakuntala. The film is an adaptation of Kalidasa’s renowned Sanskrit play Abhijnana Shakuntalam and tells the epic love story of Shakuntala, the daughter of sage Vishwamitra and Apsara Menaka, who falls in love with King Dushyant, played by Dev Mohan. Directed and written by Gunasekhar, the film had a rather slow opening day at the box office.
That said, Shaakuntalam received positive reviews from fans, audiences and critics. Trade analyst Ramesh Bala tweeted, “The entire cast of #Shaakuntalam truly brings to life the world of the mythological story and especially the lead, #SamanthaRuthPrabhu- what performance! She has also dubbed in Hindi herself for the first time with this one, and it is sure to strengthen her connect and hold in the Hindi markets as well! Well done.”
The film has garnered attention since its US premiere, where it grossed over $150k on its opening day (April 14). The success of the premiere in the US is a significant achievement for a South Indian film and highlights the growing popularity of Indian cinema in the global market. Closer home, based on early trade reports, the movie made a slow, but decent debut at the box office, earning Rs 3 crore nett in India for all languages on its opening day (April 15). As reported by Sacnilk, Shaakuntalam earned “₹3 crore India net on its first day for all languages”. The film earned ₹2.43 crore in Telugu, ₹0.4 crore in Hindi, ₹0.15 crore in Tamil, and ₹0.02 crore in Malayalam.
On Saturday, Radhakrishnaentertainments took to Twitter and shared an update on the film. It tweeted, “#Shakuntalam after excellent critic ratings and strong WOM…Day1 > Premiers Day1 gross ..$175k+ and counting. Thanks USA Audience for your Enormous Support. Overseas Release By @Radhakrishnaen9.”
The film may have had a slow start in India, but the success it achieved in the US market has given the filmmakers hope that it will gain momentum in India. Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s performance in the film has been lauded by critics, and the music by Mani Sharma has also received critical acclaim.
