Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu on Thursday said she had initially turned down the offer to headline the upcoming film 'Shaakuntalam' as she didn't have the confidence to pull off the mythological character often described as the "symbol of perfection". The Telugu film, based on Kalidasa's acclaimed Sanskrit play 'Abhijnana Shakuntalam', is set to release in theatres on April 14. Billed as a whimsical tale, 'Shaakuntalam' revolves around the epic love story of Shakuntala (Samantha) and King Dushyant, played by Dev Mohan of 'Sufiyum Sujatayum' fame. After playing a gritty role in the second season of 'The Family Man', Samantha said she was scared to step into the world of 'Shaakuntalam'.

"I had first said no because I was doing 'The Family Man 2', in which I had a real role. Since childhood, Disney has been my favourite genre. Irrespective of whether I am happy or sad, I would watch Disney films. So, I did not have confidence that I could play Shakuntala, a princess, a symbol of perfection. "I was scared. If you see, in the last three years, I have been taking on a lot of challenges. Then I spoke to the producer, Dil Raju, who had a lot of confidence (in me). I thought of taking it (up) as a challenge because it is my only chance to play a role that I dreamt of as a child," the 35-year-old actor told reporters here.