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Even before the Malayalam film Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life) released in theatres on March 28, reports about it being “superbly done” surfaced online, after the makers organised a special screening for noted artistes from the Telugu film industry in Hyderabad.
“Watched a gem of a film. A visual spectacle,” said journalist Suresh PRO on X, among other effusive blurbs.
The film, directed by Blessy and starring Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role, tells the real-life story of Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant who was forced into slavery as a goat heard on a secluded farm in Saudi Arabia.
A labourer from Aarattupuzha village in Haripad, Kerala, Najeeb had set off to the Gulf in 1993 for better prospects, leaving behind his pregnant wife and son.
He was promised a job at a supermarket in Saudi Arabia, but ended up herding goats for more than two years in the barren outskirts of a Saudi village.
The owners exploited him, refusing to even pay him for his labour. He was not allowed to bathe and was fed only stale pita bread and goat’s milk.
Isolated and under constant surveillance, Najeeb’s existence became a haunting tale of exploitation and captivity in the unforgiving desert.
His story came to light thanks to Malayalam author Benyamin, whose 2008 book Aadujeevitham became a best-seller in India and won numerous literary awards.
Prithviraj said that, when director Blessy approached him with the role back in 2008, the story had just hit the mainstream and several filmmakers across the country had their eyes on the book to make a film out of it.
“Blessy managed to procure the rights and for some reason he thought I should play Najeeb,” Prithviraj told Pinkvilla.
“It was a big commitment and a big responsibility because it’s about a life that someone lived. This is a true story and the person you see in this film is still among us. I knew I’d be putting myself through drastic physical and mental torture to be able to pull this off.”
Prithviraj told indianexpress.com about how he “evolved” in the 16 years since he signed on to do the film.
“I said yes to the film in 2008- 2009, which means it’s now been about 16 years,” he said. “When I said yes to this film. I wasn’t married. Obviously, I wasn’t a father. I had not turned director. I had not turned producer. My life has evolved through all these phases, and throughout, one constant has been that this film is there.
“So, on March 28, it’s a culmination of a lot of things; it is a life experience for me.”
While Blessy and Prithviraj, along with the film’s crew, began shooting Aadujeevitham in 2018, they had to take a break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prithviraj himself went through a massive physical transformation. He admitted that achieving Najeeb’s look took a toll on his body as he had to sometimes fast for 72 hours at a stretch.
He told the Hindustan Times: “The idea was that I looked like somebody who was starving most of the time. The only way I could do that was to actually adopt that process. I would drink water and black coffee, but nothing else.”
Najeeb told Manorama online that he cried during many scenes and felt that Prithviraj truly captured the essence of his hardship.
“The kind of torture I faced is exactly how it is shown in Aadujeevitham,” he said.
He recounted a particular scene when he cries out for his wife in his sleep, reflecting on the goosebumps he experienced when watching Prithviraj portray that moment. Najeeb said hearing Prithviraj’s screams in the film brought tears to his eyes.
Aadujeevitham also stars Amala Paul, with A.R. Rahman composing the songs and original score.
The survival drama has hit the big screen in five languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.
“The idea was that I looked like somebody who was starving most of the time. The only way I could do that was to actually adopt that process.”
