Telugu producer Chittibabu has asserted that Samantha's career has come to an end, following the poor performance of her movie 'Shaakuntalam' at the box office. He has accused her of resorting to cheap tactics to promote the movie, alleging that she did the item dance in 'Pushpa' solely for monetary gain. Chittibabu further claims that Samantha has been accepting all offers that have come her way since losing her title as a star, and he was surprised that she was cast as the lead in 'Shaakuntalam.'
He went on to state that Samantha's attempts to garner sympathy by sharing her personal struggles during movie promotions would not resonate with audiences and that the quality of a film's content is what ultimately determines its success.