Ardha Shathabdam (transl. Half-century) is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language Social Drama film written and directed by debutant Rawindra Pulle.[2] Produced by Chitti Kiran Ramoju & Radhakrishna Telu the film stars Karthik Rathnam, Naveen Chandra, Krishna Priya and Suhas in prominent roles.[3] The film premiered on 11 June 2021 on Aha.[4] The film is set in 2003 and based on the caste system in India.[5]
| Ardha Shathabdam | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Rawindra Pulle |
| Produced by | Chitti Kiran Ramoju , Radhakrishna Telu |
| Starring | Karthik Rathnam Naveen Chandra Krishna Priya Suhas |
| Cinematography | Ashker Venkat R. Shakamuri EJ Venu |
| Edited by | J. Pratap Kumar |
| Music by | Nawfal Raja AIS |
Production company | Rishitha Sree Creations & 24 Frames Celluloid |
| Distributed by | Aha |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Plot
A man love for his childhood crush disrupts peace and ensues chaos in his village.
Cast
- Karthik Rathnam as Krishna
- Naveen Chandra as SI Ranjith
- Krishna Priya as Pushpa
- Suhas as Koti
- Sai Kumar as Ramanna
- Subhalekha Sudhakar
- Aamani as Ramanna's wife
- Pavitra Lokesh as Lakshmi
- Raja Ravindra as Veeranna
- Ajay as Ravinder
- Ramaraju as Village head
- Anil Geela as Krishna's friend
- Thummala Narsimha Reddy
- Gautam Raju as Roadside shop owner
- Rajsekhar Aningi
- Dayanand Reddy
- Roja Bharati
Production
Principal photography of the film began in 2019.[6] Most of the scenes were shot in Nirmal, Telangana.[7]
Music
| Ardha Shathabdam | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Nawfal Raja AIS | |||||
| Released | March 25, 2021 | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 22:23 | ||||
| Label | Aditya Music | ||||
| Producer | Nawfal Raja AIS | ||||
| |||||
Lyrical version of "Arey Meriseyle Meriseyle" sung by Shankar Mahadevan was released on 5 June 2021.[8] "Errani Sooreede" song was released on 12 March 2021.[9]
All music is composed by Nawfal Raja AIS
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Arey Meriseyle Meriseyle" | Rahman | Shankar Mahadevan | 5:15 |
| 2. | "Raye Vennalamma Raye" | Rahman | Sakthi Loganathan | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Kalam Adigey Manishante Evaru" | Rahman | Anurag Kulkarni | 4:46 |
| 4. | "Ye Kannulu Choodani" | Lakshmi Priyanka | Sid Sriram | 4:54 |
| 5. | "Errani Sooreede" | Rahman | Mohana Bhogaraju | 3:52 |
| 6. | "Nee Premaney" | Anthony Daasan | 2:37 | |
| Total length: | 22:23 | |||
Release
The film was earlier scheduled for a theatrical release.[10] But, it was then decided to release on Aha on 26 March 2021.[11][12] Due to some production issues, it was again rescheduled, and a new release date was announced as 11 June 2021.[13]
Reception
Sravan Vanaparthy of The Times of India, rated the film 2.5/5 and opined that the film could not reach its potential due to lackluster screenplay. On performances, Vanaparthy stated: "While both the leads Karthik and Priya deliver a great performance, it does not make up for the weak storyline. Naveen Chandra’s character as a trigger-happy police officer leaves him with little scope to perform," while praising the production values.[14] Cinema Express critic Ram Venkat Srikar who gave the film 1.5 stars out of 5 felt that though the film was well-intentioned, it misfired due to poor execution.[15]
A reviewer from Eenadu wrote, "While the storyline chosen by the director is laudable, they faltered in showing it strongly [sic]."[16] Anji Shetty of Sakshi who granted the film 2.5 stars out of 5 and echoed the same. Shetty appreciated the performances of the leads and music while pointing out screenplay as its weak point.[17]
A critic of LetsOTT gave a rating of 3 out of 5 and appreciated the performances done by various actors and the direction.[18]
