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''Aadhi'' is a 2018 Indian
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
-language
action thriller film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
directed by
Jeethu Joseph Jeethu Joseph (born 10 November 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu Cinema, Telugu films. Jeethu made his d ...
and produced by
Antony Perumbavoor Malekudy Joseph Antony, better known as Antony Perumbavoor, is an Indian film producer, Film distributor, distributor, movie theatre, cinema exhibitor and actor, who works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film industry. He began his career as a c ...
through
Aashirvad Cinemas Aashirvad Cinemas is an Indian film production company based in Kochi, Kerala. It was established in 1999 by Antony Perumbavoor, since then, it has produced over 30 Malayalam films, starring Mohanlal. Since 2009, the company co-operates with th ...
. The film stars
Pranav Mohanlal Pranav Mohanlal (born 13 July 1990) is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Malayalam cinema. The son of actor Mohanlal, he made his debut as a child actor with a minor role in '' Onnaman'' (2002), followed by a leading role in '' ...
in the title role (in his debut role) and with an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...
including
Jagapathi Babu Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Chowdary (born 12 February 1962), professionally known as Jagapathi Babu (), is an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Kannada cinema, Kannada, Malayalam cine ...
, Siddique,
Lena Lena or LENA may refer to: Places * Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso * Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada * Lena, Norway, a village in ...
,
Aditi Ravi Aditi Ravi is an Indian model and actress, who appears in Malayalam films. She pursued a career in modelling before becoming an actress, debuting with a commercial for ''The Times of India'' during her college education. She made her acting de ...
,
Anusree Anusree (born 24 October 1990) is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films. She made her acting debut in the 2012 film '' Diamond Necklace'' and has acted in a number of Malayalam films in female lead roles. Early life Anusree was ...
,
Sharaf U Dheen Sharafudheen, professionally credited as Sharaf U Dheen, is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He made his acting debut in 2013 with '' Neram''. He got his breakthrough in ''Premam'' (2015). Personal life Sharafudheen hails from A ...
,
Siju Wilson Wilson Joseph (born 22 November 1981), professionally credited as Siju Wilson, is an Indian actor and producer, who works in Malayalam films. He won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film for his debut production '' Vasanthi'' (2019). Ca ...
,
Meghanathan Meghanathan (November 1964 – 21 November 2024) was an Indian actor who appeared in Malayalam and Tamil films. The son of actor Balan K. Nair, he debuted in 1983 in the Malayalam film '' Asthram''. He acted in more than 50 Malayalam films. B ...
,
Sijoy Varghese Sijoy Varghese (born 6 March 1971) is an Indian actor and advertising filmmaker. He has been involved in advertising and cinema for 20 years. As an actor he has portrayed characters in Malayalam films including '' Bangalore Days'', '' Avatharam ...
,
Tony Luke Tony Luke Kocherry (born 10 November 1985) is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films. He began his career as a fashion model and later forayed into cinema, debuting with '' Oozham'' (2016) in a negative role. In 2019, Tony ...
and
Krishna Shankar S. V. Krishna Sankar is an Indian actor who predominantly acts in Malayalam films. His notable films include '' Neram'' (2013), ''Premam'' (2015), ''Marubhoomiyile Aana'' (2016) and '' Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela'' (2017). Career Krishna Sha ...
. The original soundtrack for the film was composed by
Anil Johnson Anil Johnson is an Indian film composer and record producer who works in Malayalam cinema. Besides feature films, he has composed for commercials, documentaries, corporate films, short films and music videos. Prior to becoming a mainstream sco ...
. The
principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
took place between August and November 2017 in
Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
,
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
, and
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
. ''Aadhi'' was released in India on 26 January 2018 and met with positive response. The film was a major commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of 2018.


Plot

Aadhi aspires to become a
music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...
in cinema who is doing local singing gigs. He receives some support from his father, Mohan Varma, a successful businessman, he is not so optimistic about Aadhi's musical career and wants him to earn a livelihood from the business. His mother, Rosy, however, supports his wishes except for the parkour. Aadhi is trying hard to get a breakthrough. Mohan sends Aadhi to take his friend Roy's car to
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
to receive Roy after his foreign trip. In Bangalore, Aadhi goes to a
nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...
where eminent personalities from the music industry gather and seeks an opportunity to perform a musical to catch their attention. But circumstantially cause the death of a person who is the son of a greatly influential figure. The deceased was the son of Narayana Reddy, the owner of Pinnacle Group. Jayakrishnan intimidates Anjana and frames Aadhi for the death, and informs Reddy, who seeks to take revenge on Aadhi. Reddy uses his influence to make it an accidental death to avoid police intervention and starts an underground
manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...
for Aadhi, using a picture of him captured by the security camera in the club. Reddy gets hold of the car that Aadhi brought to the pub, his dad's boss's one, and through the security cam footage that he stays somewhere on the Bangalore-Mysore road. He sends his goons to catch Aadhi, while unbeknownst to all of it, he is in the streets. But using his free-running skills, he evades the goons only to end up with Sharath. Sharath takes him home and tells him about the bounty Reddy has placed on him. Sharath also tells him that he will help him as Reddy has caused ill fates to his family, and is the sole reason why his family is this way. Sharath agrees to help him and his sister Jaya approves of that. Sharath takes help from his friend Mani Annan and decides to plot an escape plan, all to go to waste. Aadhi meets up with his dad at Sharath's home and decides to go abroad. He takes refuge in an abandoned factory until his escape plan is done. Meanwhile, Reddy urges the cops to have a lookout for Aadhi, and all the transport routes are inspected for Aadhi's suspected departure. Aadhi, having lost his phone, keeps on his communicating with his parents through Sharath, and this intrigues Reddy, who decides to go for call tracing on that. Suspecting his activities to be disclosed, Jayakrishnan readily takes over the responsibility of monitoring the calls. He overhears the call and confirms Aadhi's location, and goes with some goons to get done with Aadhi. Aadhi somehow escapes from them and interprets that Jayakrishnan has been tapping his phone calls. Jayakrishnan, having learned of Sharath's role in Aadhi's hideout, captures him and murders him before Sharath discloses Jayakrishnan's role in the death of Reddy's son. This creates a stir, and Aadhi is forced to leave the hideout. Aadhi plots a new plan to disclose things to Reddy, as the situation brings him to the conclusion that Jayakrishnan devised the whole plan to save face because Reddy might kill him if he is found guilty. Aadhi takes help from Mani Annan and a former employee of the Pinnacle Group, Ebin, to disclose to Reddy all the happenings at his office in Bangalore. As per Ebin's request, he gets hold of gadgets to gain access to the security cam footage of the building and thereby get to Reddy's office. He also uses Anjana to devise a plan so that Jayakrishnan stays out of the office and passes information that he is going to meet Reddy at an event outside his office late one day. Jayakrishnan leaves the office soon. Aadhi gets inside the office through the service exit, and Anjana through the front door, which alerts Jayakrishnan, who returns soon after. Meanwhile, Aadhi and Anjana reach Reddy's office, only for Reddy to attack Aadhi, who later convinces Reddy of Jayakrishnan's part in the ploy. Jayakrishnan soon comes and shoots Reddy, and leaves him for dead, and along with Siddharth, aka Siddhu discloses them as partners intending on killing Reddy and taking his wealth. Siddhu never intended on sharing and turns on Jayakrishnan and kills him and moves to kill Aadhi and Anjana as well. Aadhi makes a quick run for it and reaches the 10th floor of the building. Aadhi is taken out by the guards before he could rappel out and Siddhu gets down to kill him. Before Siddhu could shoot him, it is revealed that the 10th-floor exit was an escape plan, and Aadhi performs a
Dülfersitz The Dülfersitz (named after mountaineer Hans Dülfer who had developed a different but related technique), also known as body rappel, is a classical, or non-mechanical abseiling technique, used in rock climbing and mountaineering. It is not us ...
just before Ebin turns the fire alarm on, to shower gasoline on them. Aadhi throws a lighter and escapes out in the ensuing explosion. Reddy recovers, and it is revealed that Aadhi is set free, and Jayakrishnan and Siddhu were killed because of the explosion on the 10th floor.


Cast

*
Pranav Mohanlal Pranav Mohanlal (born 13 July 1990) is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Malayalam cinema. The son of actor Mohanlal, he made his debut as a child actor with a minor role in '' Onnaman'' (2002), followed by a leading role in '' ...
as Aditya Mohan / Aadhi *
Jagapathi Babu Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Chowdary (born 12 February 1962), professionally known as Jagapathi Babu (), is an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Kannada cinema, Kannada, Malayalam cine ...
as Narayana Reddy * Siddique as Mohan Varma, Aadhi's father *
Lena Lena or LENA may refer to: Places * Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso * Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada * Lena, Norway, a village in ...
as Rosy, Aadhi's mother *
Aditi Ravi Aditi Ravi is an Indian model and actress, who appears in Malayalam films. She pursued a career in modelling before becoming an actress, debuting with a commercial for ''The Times of India'' during her college education. She made her acting de ...
as Anjana, Aadhi's classmate *
Anusree Anusree (born 24 October 1990) is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films. She made her acting debut in the 2012 film '' Diamond Necklace'' and has acted in a number of Malayalam films in female lead roles. Early life Anusree was ...
as Jaya, Sarath's elder sister *
Sijoy Varghese Sijoy Varghese (born 6 March 1971) is an Indian actor and advertising filmmaker. He has been involved in advertising and cinema for 20 years. As an actor he has portrayed characters in Malayalam films including '' Bangalore Days'', '' Avatharam ...
as Siddharth / Siddhu *
Siju Wilson Wilson Joseph (born 22 November 1981), professionally credited as Siju Wilson, is an Indian actor and producer, who works in Malayalam films. He won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film for his debut production '' Vasanthi'' (2019). Ca ...
as Jayakrishnan *
Meghanathan Meghanathan (November 1964 – 21 November 2024) was an Indian actor who appeared in Malayalam and Tamil films. The son of actor Balan K. Nair, he debuted in 1983 in the Malayalam film '' Asthram''. He acted in more than 50 Malayalam films. B ...
as Mani Annan *
Sharaf U Dheen Sharafudheen, professionally credited as Sharaf U Dheen, is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He made his acting debut in 2013 with '' Neram''. He got his breakthrough in ''Premam'' (2015). Personal life Sharafudheen hails from A ...
as Sarath Nair *
Tony Luke Tony Luke Kocherry (born 10 November 1985) is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films. He began his career as a fashion model and later forayed into cinema, debuting with '' Oozham'' (2016) in a negative role. In 2019, Tony ...
as Ebin *
Krishna Shankar S. V. Krishna Sankar is an Indian actor who predominantly acts in Malayalam films. His notable films include '' Neram'' (2013), ''Premam'' (2015), ''Marubhoomiyile Aana'' (2016) and '' Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela'' (2017). Career Krishna Sha ...
as Nadhir, Aadhi's friend * Kritika Pradeep as Anu, a girl who has a crush on Aadhi *
Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
as Himself (
Cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
) *
Antony Perumbavoor Malekudy Joseph Antony, better known as Antony Perumbavoor, is an Indian film producer, Film distributor, distributor, movie theatre, cinema exhibitor and actor, who works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film industry. He began his career as a c ...
as Himself (
Cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
) * James Pottackal as Man walking in GCDA (Cameo appearance) *
Jeethu Joseph Jeethu Joseph (born 10 November 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu Cinema, Telugu films. Jeethu made his d ...
as Man walking in street (
Cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
) * Roy C. J. as Himself (
Cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
) * Nithin Hari as Reddy's Son


Production


Development

On 30 September 2016,
Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
announced that his son
Pranav Mohanlal Pranav Mohanlal (born 13 July 1990) is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Malayalam cinema. The son of actor Mohanlal, he made his debut as a child actor with a minor role in '' Onnaman'' (2002), followed by a leading role in '' ...
would be acting in a film directed by
Jeethu Joseph Jeethu Joseph (born 10 November 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu Cinema, Telugu films. Jeethu made his d ...
and produced by
Aashirvad Cinemas Aashirvad Cinemas is an Indian film production company based in Kochi, Kerala. It was established in 1999 by Antony Perumbavoor, since then, it has produced over 30 Malayalam films, starring Mohanlal. Since 2009, the company co-operates with th ...
, which would be a thriller. The film marks the return of Pranav as an actor, who had earlier appeared as child actor. He had worked with Jeethu as an
assistant director The role of an assistant director (AD) on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have ...
in two films''
Papanasam Papanasam is a Panchayati raj in India, panchayat town in Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Kumbakonam. The name literally translates to "Destruction of Sins" in the Tamil language. It ...
'' and '' Life of Josutty''. The project was
green-lit In the context of the film and television industries, to greenlight is to give permission to proceed with a project. It specifically refers to formally approving its production finance and committing to this financing, thereby allowing the projec ...
a few days before the announcement when Jeethu had a discussion with Pranav. After learning Pranav wanted to return to acting, Jeethu approached him with an abstract idea of a film and received positive feedback. Jeethu was in charge of writing; he had completed the story by the time of the announcement and had begun writing the screenplay, intending it to be his next directorial. He described the film as an action movie and a thriller, but it will not resemble a thriller like his 2013 film ''
Memories Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is Encoding (memory), encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future Action (philosophy), action. I ...
''. Jeethu had developed the story idea during his college education. His protagonist was a
marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
or
cross country runner Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...
, whose athletic skills aid him in the story. For the film, it was changed to
parkour Parkour () is an athletic Training#Physical training, training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from one point to another in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment ...
since Pranav had learned it during his academic life. The entire plot takes place within one week or 10 days. By the end of March 2017, Jeethu said he was working on the script and hoped to start filming by June, with the rest of the cast finalizing after the first draft is prepared. In early May, Jeethu confirmed that the first draft was complete and they were about to enter pre-production, with the filming planned to begin in the second half of 2017. In mid-May he stated that he is still working on the screenplay. In early July 2017, Jeethu said he intended to start filming by the end of that month. For the film, Pranav trained in parkour. The title ''Aadhi'' along with an animated digital poster were revealed on 5 July at the puja function of the film held at hotel
Vivanta by Taj Vivanta is an Indian hotel chain established in September 2010. The brand is a part of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, a subsidiary of the TATA Group The Tata Group () is an Indian multinational conglomerate group of companies headq ...
in Thycaud,
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
. The venue was shared with the puja of Aashirvad Cinemas's ''
Odiyan ''Odiyan'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film directed by V. A. Shrikumar Menon in his feature film debut. The film was written by Harikrishnan and is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, who in Kerala folklore are m ...
''. ''Aadhi'' is billed with the tagline, "some lies can be deadly".
Satheesh Kurup Satheesh Kurup (born 7 November 1981) is an Indian cinematographer who works in Malayalam cinema. Early life Career Satheesh made his debut with '' Anwar'' (2010). His well-known films include ''Pranayam'' (2011), '' Jawan of Vellimala'' (20 ...
was signed as the cinematographer, while
Anil Johnson Anil Johnson is an Indian film composer and record producer who works in Malayalam cinema. Besides feature films, he has composed for commercials, documentaries, corporate films, short films and music videos. Prior to becoming a mainstream sco ...
as music composer.


Casting

Pranav plays Aadhi, an urban youth who loves music and aspires to become a music director. Although Pranav was described about his character, Jeethu gave him freedom to mould the character accordingly. In August 2017, Siddique,
Sharaf U Dheen Sharafudheen, professionally credited as Sharaf U Dheen, is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He made his acting debut in 2013 with '' Neram''. He got his breakthrough in ''Premam'' (2015). Personal life Sharafudheen hails from A ...
, and
Siju Wilson Wilson Joseph (born 22 November 1981), professionally credited as Siju Wilson, is an Indian actor and producer, who works in Malayalam films. He won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film for his debut production '' Vasanthi'' (2019). Ca ...
were confirmed in prominent roles. Initially
Sunny Wayne Sujith Unnikrishnan (born 19 August 1983), known by his stage name Sunny Wayne is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema in second lead to supporting roles. He made his acting debut in ''Second Show'' (2012), in which Dulqu ...
was signed for a role but had to cancel because of scheduling conflicts. The film has no romantic track. The leading female roles were played by
Anusree Anusree (born 24 October 1990) is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films. She made her acting debut in the 2012 film '' Diamond Necklace'' and has acted in a number of Malayalam films in female lead roles. Early life Anusree was ...
,
Aditi Ravi Aditi Ravi is an Indian model and actress, who appears in Malayalam films. She pursued a career in modelling before becoming an actress, debuting with a commercial for ''The Times of India'' during her college education. She made her acting de ...
, and
Lena Lena or LENA may refer to: Places * Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso * Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada * Lena, Norway, a village in ...
. Aditi plays Anjana, a
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
-based
Malayali The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...
banking professional. She was suggested to Jeethu by cinematographer
Satheesh Kurup Satheesh Kurup (born 7 November 1981) is an Indian cinematographer who works in Malayalam cinema. Early life Career Satheesh made his debut with '' Anwar'' (2010). His well-known films include ''Pranayam'' (2011), '' Jawan of Vellimala'' (20 ...
, who worked in her debut film ''
Alamara ''Alamara'' () is a 2017 Indian Malayalam cinema, Malayalam-language comedy film directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas and written by John Manthrickal. The film stars Sunny Wayne, Aditi Ravi, Aju Varghese, Saiju Kurup, Ranji Panicker, and Sonu Anna Ja ...
''; Aditi was cast after a
screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. It is typically a secondary or later stage in the audition process. The performer is generally given a scene, or sel ...
. Siddique and Lena play Aadhi's father and mother. Also in August 2017, confirming his presence,
Tony Luke Tony Luke Kocherry (born 10 November 1985) is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films. He began his career as a fashion model and later forayed into cinema, debuting with '' Oozham'' (2016) in a negative role. In 2019, Tony ...
shared his character look on a social networking site, sporting a thick beard. By the end of the month,
Jagapati Babu Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Chowdary (born 12 February 1962), professionally known as Jagapathi Babu (), is an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films. Babu has appeare ...
was confirmed to be in the cast in a significant role.


Filming

Preliminary
principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
commenced on 5 July 2017 at hotel
Vivanta by Taj Vivanta is an Indian hotel chain established in September 2010. The brand is a part of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, a subsidiary of the TATA Group The Tata Group () is an Indian multinational conglomerate group of companies headq ...
in Thycaud,
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
after a puja function held at the same venueit was a single brief
shot Shot may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard *''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck *'' Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy * "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus * ''Shot'' (2017 ...
featuring Pranav. The regular filming began on 1 August 2017 in
Nedumbassery Nedumbassery () is a census town within the Nedumbassery gram panchayat in the Aluva taluk of Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. Situated between Angamaly and Aluva, it is home to Cochin International Airport. Location As per the 2011 cens ...
, Kochi. Pranav was seen playing a guitar in the scene stills taken on the day. Early in this schedule, some scenes were filmed inside a studio near Pathadipalam in Kochi, inside which a house was created in
set Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...
. Pranav and Anusree were present in that segment. The first schedule in Kochi continued until 10 August and the second schedule began in
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
the following week. The schedule was expected to continue until mid-September and then shift to
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
by the end of the month. In early September, Jeethu said the crew had already filmed two songs of the three songs. The unit finished filming in Bangalore and shifted to Hyderabad earlier than scheduled due to rain. Filming began at
Ramoji Film City Ramoji Film City is an integrated film studio facility located in Hyderabad, India. Spread over , it is recognized as the world's largest film studio complex by the Guinness World Records. Established in 1996 by Telugu media proprietor Ramoj ...
in Hyderabad from 3 September; the scenes including an office, a building, a club, and a dance bar had originally been planned for Bangalore but were shot in Ramoji Film City instead. The schedule in Ramoji Film City was planned for 20 days. The film also had location shooting in a few streets in Hyderabad. Pranav, Aditi, and Anusree took part in this schedule. Jeethu's spouse Linta Jeethu was the film's costume designer. Pranav received the screenplay early and had several discussions with Jeethu, who said, "because he has been through the script so many times, he is able to add his improvisations" and "directing him has been a seamless experience". By the end of September 2017, Jeethu said they had one month of shoot left in Hyderabad and would soon film the action scenes, for which a foreign stunt director would join the unit. After completing the action scenes, the crew would shift again between Kochi and Bangalore. On 23 October, the unit returned to Kochi to begin the final phase of filming; the climax scenes were shot in the next two days. Pranav was injured while breaking glass for a scene. While performing an action scene in Kochi, Pranav's finger bruised and bled; he was taken to a hospital and was prescribed two days' rest. The crew had only three days of filming left and were about to return to Hyderabad for the weekend. Since the upcoming action scenes require many hand movements, filming was postponed to the next week. They were permitted to shoot only at weekends. When the first poster of the film was released on 4 November, Jeethu wrote on his social networking page that the final phase of filming was progressing in Hyderabad. Filming was wrapped on 8 November 2017.


Music

Anil Johnson Anil Johnson is an Indian film composer and record producer who works in Malayalam cinema. Besides feature films, he has composed for commercials, documentaries, corporate films, short films and music videos. Prior to becoming a mainstream sco ...
composed the music for the film, it features three songs. Besides acting, Pranav made his debut as a playback singer and songwriter with a retro English track in the film. When Jeethu asked, Pranav expressed interest in writing and singing the track that appears in a live performance scene in the film. He also played the guitar. Johnson was confident of Pranav's singing and guitar skills. Titling the song, finalizing the tune, and recording, was done in Kochi after Pranav returned from the final filming schedule in
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
. "Sooryane", a single from the film was released by Goodwill Entertainments label on 5 January 2018 for digital download and as music video on YouTube. It was sung by
Najim Arshad Najim Arshad (born 8 June 1986) is a state award-winning Indian playback singer and music director, sung more than 500 songs in the Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi film industries. In 2007, he won the reality show ''Idea Star Singer''. He ...
and written by Santhosh Varma. The music work was done at Blacknoise studio in Kochi and 20 dB Studios in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
.


Release

The makers initially targeted a release by Christmas 2017, but in August that year, Jeethu confirmed the film would not be released at Christmas because filming was expected to finish by October and the film would have an extensive post-production. In early November 2017, Jeethu stated they had a few more days of filming left but had already begun the post-production work to ensure a release by the end of January 2018. Release date was confirmed in December 2017. ''Aadhi'' released in India on 26 January 2018.


Critical reception

''Aadhi'' opened to positive response from critics.
Anna M. M. Vetticad Anna Marie Mathew Vetticad is an Indian journalist, film critic, and cultural commentator. She has been in the field of journalism since 1994. Vetticad is known for her political critiques of Indian cinema and the Indian film industry. She is a ...
of ''
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'' rated 3.5/5 stars and wrote "''Aadhi'' is one of the most exciting rollercoaster rides ever to emerge from Malayalam cinema." Meera Suresh of ''
The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and called it "an impressive debut from Pranav", stating that "With mind-boggling action sequences and enough screen presence, Mohanlal's son makes a comfortable debut, winning us with his charisma." G. Ragesh of ''
Malayala Manorama '' Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew, it was first published as a weekly on 14 March 1888, and currently has a rea ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Aadhi is tailor-made for the entry of Pranav Mohanlal into the world of stardom and the writer-director has done everything possible to keep the fans of the superstar in good spirits." ''
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'' gave 3/5 stars and wrote "''Aadhi'' is an entertaining journey of a youth, which gives you some edge of the seat moments with his action skills. Jeethu Joseph has evidently tried to keep the viewers engaged using a fast-paced presentation." Manoj Kumar R. of ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'' gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Pranav's performance in action sequences is one of the mainstays in the film. Shot in real locations, Pranav draws applause for his skills in free running or popularly known as Parkour." ''
Deccan Chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1938, it was initially launched as a Weekly newspaper, weekly and later converted into a daily. The newspaper's name reflects its origins in the ...
'' gave 3/5 stars and said the film is "A high-octane, action-packed drama keeps audience, irrespective of ages, engaged." Deepa Soman of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Aadhi deserves your time if you can look past the familiarity of the story, and want to enjoy a mix of Mohanlal nostalgia, stunts and the genuine efforts of a newbie actor to breathe life into his debut character."


Box office

The film was a commercial success at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. It grossed 50 Crore from the box office worldwide and ran over 100 days in theatres. In the opening weekend (9–11 February), the film grossed $42,907 (₹32.19 lakh) from 38 screens in the United States and £2,666 from two theatres in the United Kingdom. It collected £25,583 (₹23.19 lakh) from 94 screens in the UK in the second week. In four weeks, the film grossed $85,982 (₹55.98 lakh) in the US and £50,571 (₹45.34 lakh) in the UK. In the opening weekend (15–18 February), it grossed $403,843 from 41 screens in the
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(UAE)—second best opener of that weekend (behind ''
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'') and $9,557 from 3 screens in New Zealand. It collected $526,393 from the UAE in four weeks and $10,851 from New Zealand in two weeks. Three week gross in New Zealand was NZ$14,875.


Awards

Pranav won the Best Debut Actor award at the
8th South Indian International Movie Awards The 8th South Indian International Movie Awards is an awards event held at Qatar on 15–16 August 2019. SIIMA 2019 recognized the best films and performances from the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films and music released in 2018, along ...
(SIIMA). Lena also won the SIIMA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Anusree won the award for Best Character Actress at the
21st Asianet Film Awards The 21st Asianet Film Awards, honoring the best Malayalam films of 2018, was held on 6 and 7 April 2019 near at FACT Sports Association Ground, Kalamassery, Kochi. The show was hosted by Nyla Usha, Govind Padmasoorya and Prathibha Sai. Winners ...
.


References


External links

* {{Aashirvad Cinemas 2010s Malayalam-language films Films directed by Jeethu Joseph 2018 action thriller films 2018 films Indian action thriller films Films shot in Kochi Films shot at Ramoji Film City Films shot in Bengaluru Parkour in film Films set in Bengaluru Aashirvad Cinemas films