Rajpal Yadav in Ardh. Mumbai is often called the city of dreams, but at the same time, many of us have heard thousands of stories about how surviving or making it big in the city is not a cake walk. Millions of people arrive in Mumbai with the dream to become an actor but only hundreds make it to the silver screen, and very few become a “star”. Palash Muchhal’s directorial debut Ardh narrates the story of one such struggling actor Shiva, played by Rajpal Yadav.
As soon as the trailer begins, we meet Rajpal’s Shiva dressed as a woman. He begs in the guise of a eunuch to provide for his family. In the trailer, we see Rubina Dilaik play Shiva’s supportive wife. She encourages him to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor. However, luck never seems to favour Shiva. Despite several auditions, he fails to bag a role. Towards the end of the trailer, we see Rajpal’s Shiva persuading Kulbushan Kharbanda (who plays a filmmaker) to give him a chance as he is a trained actor.
But will he finally achieve success? Will he become a star? We will have to wait and watch.
Talking about Ardh, Palash Muchhal said in a statement, “Ardh is the story of almost every dreamer in Mumbai and we’ve tried to keep the movie as close to reality as possible. It’s something that a lot of people will connect to as it’s the story of the people.”
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Rajpal Yadav called Ardh the story of those people who struggle day and night to make their dreams come true. “In our country, there are millions of such Shiva and Parvati who are fighting for their survival. So, this is their story, and I am honoured to be telling it,” he said.
Rubina Dilaik, who makes her Bollywood debut with Ardh, said, “I have stepped in with a blank slate, and I feel secure to have started my new innings with a visionary like Palash and a talented co-star as Rajpal sir.”
The film will stream on ZEE5 from June 10 onwards.
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