Aha’s ‘Ardha Shathabdham’ Movie Review

Click Here to Watch Ardha Shathabdham Movie on Aha 

Ardha Shathabdham stars Karthik Rathnam of C/O Kancherapalem and Krishna Priya in the lead roles. The film is directed by Ravindra Pulle and it is available for streaming on Aha Video now. Let us see what it has to offer.

Story:

Krishna (Karthik) develops feelings for Pushpa (Krishna Priya) right from a young age. But he struggles to convey his feelings to Pushpa, due to the honour killings culture in the area. One day, Krishna’s friends devise a plan to bring Krishna and Pushpa together and it goes horribly wrong? What is their plan? How does it affect the lives of others? Watch the film to know the answers.

What about on-screen performances?

Karthik Rathnam emotes well in the protagonist role and so does Krishna Priya who plays the female lead. Naveen Chandra, Sai Kumar, Ajay, and Subhaleka Sudhakar deliver fine performances but their characters are not established well in the story.

What about off-screen talents?

Cinematography is one of the main assets of the film. Thanks to brilliant work from the men behind the lens, Venu, Venkat R Sakhamuri, and Aascar, the film has aesthetic visuals which replicate the 90s era. Music and background score by Saphal Raja are also very impressive. Editing should have been much better. The first half is unnecessarily stretched and the second half is incoherent.

Click Here to Watch Ardha Shathabdham Movie on Aha 

The director Ravindra Pulle picks a tried and tested set-up but gives it his own spin with the honour killings element. His basic idea of projecting the foolishness of commoners even 50 years post independence is good. But he fails to develop this story into a compelling film. The emotional connect is missing right from the opening scene. The screenplay is bland and lackluster as well. He gets the best out of his technical team but that is just about it. His narrative should have been a whole lot better.

What’s Hot?

Visuals and music
Storyline and backdrop
Dialogues

What’s Not?

Beaten to death set-up
Bland screenplay
Slow-paced narration
Poor character establishment
Weak direction
Editing

Verdict:

Debut director Ravindra Pulle blends caste politics, love drama and action for this rural drama. He succeeds to an extent but the film, as a whole lacks the desired impact. Those who like near-to-life dramas might like the film, but the rest will not find it compelling enough.

Watch or Not? Those who love realistic dramas can give it a try.

Click Here to Watch Ardha Shathabdham Movie on Aha