Shabdavedi is a Kannada action drama film directed by S. Narayan and produced by Sri Bhargavi Arts Combines. The film, released in 2000 starred Rajkumar, Jayapradha, K. S. Ashwath, Sowcar Janaki, Umashree in lead roles. The music was composed by Hamsalekha. This film marked the last acting venture of the celebrated actor Rajkumar. The movie is based on a novel of same name by Vijay Sasanur. The title refers to the Shabda-bhedi proficiency in Indian archery that involves shooting at a target not by seeing it visibility, but by hearing it. This skill comes into play in the Shravan episode in the Hindu epic Ramayana and the Pandu gets a curse episode in the epic Mahabharata.
Plot
Shabdavedi is about Sandeep, a strict police officer crusading against narcotics. The man is so straight that when his wife Vathsala refuses to reveal the identity of a key link in the drug ring that he is investigating, he beats her in lockup. Eventually he overcomes all the usual attempts to throw him off the chase like tarnishing his reputation and implicating him in lock-up death cases and tracks the ring down to its last man.
This film has its credit as the comeback film of Rajkumar after almost six years. This was the first time that S. Narayan, age of 35 directed a film starring the legendary actor. The film was shot locations such as K R Circle in Bangalore, Abhiman Studio on the city's outskirts, Rama Mandira in Rajajinagar, Kashmir. Mysore's police commissioner Kempaiah has given guidance for star's uniforms in the movie. The producer of the film had originally planned to have Bhanupriya as the female lead, but she was living abroad having married then. Jayaprada was then chosen as the female lead actor
Soundtrack
composed the film's background score and the soundtrack, also writing lyrics for it. The soundtrack album consists of six tracks.
Reception
ಶಬ್ದವೇಧಿ, Rajkumar’s comeback film had received mixed reviews from various critics. But, the film was a commercial hit with fans flocking the cinemas from day one of the release. Tickets were being sold in black for 125 times the actual price.
