Ardha Shathabdam

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 and Radhakrishna Telu, the film starred Karthik Rathnam, Naveen Chandra, Krishna Priya and Suhas in prominent roles.^[3]

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 companies	Rishitha Sree Creations 24 Frames Celluloid
Distributed by	Aha
Release date	11 June 2021 (2021-06-11)[1]
Country	India
Language	Telugu

It premiered on 11 June 2021 on Aha.^[4] The film is set in 2003 and based on the caste system in India.^[5]

Plot

A man's 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 (2021-03-25)
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	22:23
Label	Aditya Music
Producer	Nawfal Raja AIS
Nawfal Raja AIS chronology
Ardha Shathabdam (2021) Rudrangi (2023)
External audio Audio Jukebox on YouTube

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]

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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

All music is composed by Nawfal Raja AIS.

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]