Rajpal Yadav’s Ardh finally hit the OTT screen on June 10. The film also stars Rubina Dilaik, marking her debut in the film industry. Ardh has created a buzz among the audience as numerous fans took to social media and revealed how much they liked the film.
Apart from Rajpal essaying the role of Shiva and Rubina essaying the role of Madhu the film features notable actors in the cast including Hiten Tejwani as Satya, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Swastik Tiwari, and others.
Produced by Pal Music and Films, and written and directed by Palash Muchhal, the film revolves around Shiva Kumar (played by Rajpal Yadav): a lower-middle-class man who has years of theatre experience behind him but wants to feature on the silver screen someday.
However, the movie business is brutal, and auditioning for roles won’t feed a family. To make ends meet, he takes up odd jobs like washing utensils at an eatery, working at a construction site, sticking posters on metropolitan walls, or being spot boy on sets. Amid this, he lives his dream of being an actor – as he dresses up in a saree and gets in the shoes of a transgender ‘Parvati’, who earns money at traffic signals and goes about blessing strangers. Only two people know about his secret: his supportive wife Madhu (played by Rubina Dilaik) and his friend Satya (played by Hiten Tejwani).
Sharing why one must watch this film and reasons behind taking the OTT path, Rajpal Yadav says, “one should watch Ardh because it will give you a sense of belief that even if you have family problems or are struggling you can survive with the support, respect, love, and communication of your family/ wife. All your goals will be easier to achieve if you have them. So, a lot of people out there just like shiva will get inspiration and courage to fight. After watching the film, the audience will surely take back something – entertainment, laughter, emotion, or inspiration. It will connect with everyone.”
He further adds; “In the competition between television, theatre, and films, OTT has made a strong place for itself. I am very thankful to ZEE5 and the team for giving Ardh a new meaning (Ardh) by giving us such a great platform. Today OTT platform has diverse content to provide to its audience. Because of OTT different kinds of content and subjects will be brought forth and given the right platform. Theatrical releases will continue to happen but OTT has paved its way for content and definitely has a bright future.”
Rajpal Yadav also shared his experience of working with director Palaash Muchhal.
“Working with Palaash was a great experience. He is today’s young director with a musical background; he has done a good job with Ardh. He had a vision for the film which he has managed to showcase through the film. He did his research and portrayed it very well. I got to learn a lot from him and had fun working with him.”
The voice-over of the film has been done by the popular and legendary actor, Jackie Shroff, and the songs are sung by Sonu Nigam, Armaan Malik, Palak Muchhal, and Rekha Bhardwaj, Rubina Dilaik, Divya Kumar, Parry G, and Amit Mishra. Composed by the writer and director, Palash Muchhal, the movie album consists of seven songs.
You can watch the film on Zee5.