Samantha is one of the few lady superstars in Telugu cinema. But she too has a market cap, much like any senior heroine in the industry.
Incidentally, Gunasekhar is said to have overplayed the budget card for his film with Samantha, Sahkuntalam.
It was initially decided that Shakuntalam should be made on a budget of Rs 60 crores. But due to the delay in production and the additional VFX job, the budget shot up steeply.
The overall budget of Shakuntalam is said to have touched Rs 75 crores now, which is way too high for a Samantha starrer.
The director is now hoping that Sam’s immediate next film, Yashoda will turn out to be hit and lay a platform for her next film, Shakuntalam.