On Friday, Samantha took to Instagram to deny the spate of rumours surrounding her split with her husband Naga Chaitanya — rumours that she had affairs and abortions and had never wanted to have children. And in parallel, Neelima Gunasekhar, the producer of Samantha’s latest film, Shaakuntalam, shares an interesting story.
Neelima says when they approached Samantha for the period drama last year, the actress had requested the filmmakers to wrap up the film in 3-4 months.
“Samantha, out of respect for my father, came down for the narration. She loved the script but was apprehensive about coming on board because period dramas generally take a long time to complete. She said she wanted to start a family soon and was planning a long break. So she wanted to be sure that we would wrap up the film within the stipulated time,” says Neelima.
As planned, they wrapped up the shooting in exactly 81 working days. They worked without a break except during the second wave of the pandemic, the producer adds. “Sam was very accommodative, supportive and showed great dedication,” says Neelima.
“She kept telling us that this (Shakuntalam) would be her last film and she wanted to sign off with a bang. Samantha was determined that the film would be a super hit,” Neelima reveals.
