Prithviraj Sukumaran in Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life
When Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life was announced in 2018, nearly a decade after director Blessy and Malayalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran had discussed it, there was palpable excitement. Based on the true story of Malayali immigrant Najeeb who went through very horrifying experience in Saudi Arabia, The Goat Life is all set to release on March 28. Director Blessy spent 16 years of his life on this film and Malayalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran also travelled with him on this journey. The Aadujeevitham star underwent a tremendous physical transformation for the role, got stuck in Jordan with the team during the pandemic, and experienced the horrendous nightmare of a life that Najeeb had.
He addressed his attraction to the script
“It was the ultimate story about the resilience of the human spirit. There are many films that have been made on the above subject, but this manifestation of the same seemed all the more striking, disturbing, inspiring, all at the same time, because this is a life that someone really lived and is alive today. This is a lone man fighting against unbelievable odds, the elements (nature) against him. I just thought it was just an unbelievable human story. The book The Goat Life by Benyamin was a hit and as destiny would have it, Blessy managed to get its rights, and he thought I should play Najeeb. For me, it was a dream film in 2008-9 and when Blessy thought I am the one who should play Najeeb, it was like a huge stamp of approval for me as an actor” , actor said.
He addressed about the delay of the film
“Even back in 2009, Blessy’s vision for the film was the same. And in 2000, it was impossible to pull off something at this scale in Malayalam Cinema. We started shoot in 2018 and it remained a big challenge but not unthinkable. The Malayalam industry had evolved and revenue streams had proliferated. It took time to set up the production and make sure that we had a system in place which would allow us to shoot the film the way we wanted to shoot it. It still took us four-and-a-half years to complete it which wasn’t planned”, actor said.
About selecting AR Rahman as Music Director
“In 2009, I remember we had this conversation in my vanity van – we wanted either music director Hans Zimmer (Dune, Interstellar, Inception) or AR Rahman. And we actually thought we had a better chance of getting Hans Zimmer on board as Rahman had just won the Oscar and was in high demand. We mailed Hans Zimmer and they said they would be open to a meeting with us. Meanwhile, we also got a meeting with Rahman and we had a short 30-minute narration and he immediately said he was on board. I guess genius also comes with the ability to spot something special. Initially we were to have one song and the background score but now we have four songs. He has created an amazing score for the film. In fact, he came to the shooting spot in Jordan to experience that desert life – listening to the wind, the goats, etc. It’s so flattering to imagine that someone like AR Rahman, who I’m sure has 100 people waiting for him, would invest so much of his time and effort for one film. I think like all of us he must have sensed that this is such a special story. The songs are a smash hit in Kerala. But my favourite thing about the music in the film is the background score”, actor added.
Talked about Malayalam Movies which released in 2024
“Firstly, I am very thankful for what has been happening in 2024. Thankful to the audience for coming to the theatres to watch Malayalam content. Thankful to the filmmakers who made those films and everyone from the actors and the technicians to the producers. Because their success has potentially paved the way for our success as well. The interest in the next big Malayalam release, which is The Goat Life, is amazing because of the track record of Malayalam cinema over the past couple of months. But we would be doing a big disservice to the past and more importantly to the future. You would be doing a big disservice to all that has happened all that has led to this phase. And more importantly, be doing a big disservice to where we could take this. I am happy about this. I hope it is the beginning of a lot of things. I hope it is the beginning of a phase where we will eventually finally be able to put in place a proper distribution system for Malayalam cinema across the country and across the world”, actor concluded.