- Chetan Nadiger
Film: Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life
Producer: Visual Romance
Director: Blessy
Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Amala Paul, Gokul, Jimmy Jean Louis and others
The audience is always drawn towards survival dramas. The latest example for this is the recent Malayalam blockbuster ‘Manjummel Boys’. This week’s release, ‘Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life’ starring Prithviraj Sukumaran is also another survival story. Despite being based on true stories; these movies differ in practically every other way.
‘Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life’ is based on a novel by Benyamin that tells the narrative of Malayali immigrant Najeeb Muhammad. Prithviraj Sukumaran plays the role of Najeeb here, who along with his companion Hakeem (Gokul) lands in Saudi Arabia for work. Both Najeeb nor Hakeem know either Hindi or English and look clueless in the airport. They are taken by a local and are separated. Najeeb is made a goatherd in a secluded farm in the desert. The rest of the story tells how Najeeb survives in that atmosphere and returns back to normalcy after fighting against all the odds, a few years back.
The book ‘Aadujeevitham’ is divided into four parts and 43 chapters and it is quite difficult to bring the tale on the screen. Director Blessy has done a fantastic job at bringing the tale to the screen. At almost three hours, the film is a bit long as it tends to drag in some parts. Though the film looks a bit lengthy, Blessy has brought the emotional journey of Najeeb remarkably on screen. Through the striking pictures, the shift of a happy and healthy Najeeb swimming freely in the backwaters of Kerala to a famished, desperately thin and messy one in the desert among the goats has been beautifully conveyed.
Blessy carefully brings the emotions on screen through minute details. The interaction Najeeb with the baby goat or his farewell to the goats is a fine example. For the most part of the first part, there is only the vastness of the desert, the goat herd and a suffering Najeeb. One can never truly understand the suffering that the actual Najeeb must have endured. Yet, Blessy pulls out the relationship between the three in a painful way. While the first half is all about Najeeb’s life in the goatherd, the second half is all about Najeeb and Hakim’s difficult and nearly impossible trek to liberation.
As Najeeb, Prithviraj Sukumaran has given a remarkable performance. His dedication for the role of Najeeb is commendable. The actor has truly immersed himself in the role. From his looks to his weight loss, the actor has demonstrated that he has sacrificed all for this role. The actor has literally lived out the role of Najeeb throughout the film.
Numerous scenes are particularly noteworthy and demonstrate how no other actor could have played this role. For example, the scene where he’s so thin that he walks to the water tank naked to take a bath after all these years really gets under your skin. Amala Paul doesn’t have much to do in the film. Jimmy Jean-Louis and Gokul has supported the film with their good performances.
Technically, Sunil KS has done a brilliant job as a cinematographer. His images are very intense and capture and convincingly convey the mood of every aspect of Najeeb’s journey. A R Rahman has taken the film to a new level with his background score. The background music is a fusion of Indian and Arabic styles. The background score creates an emotional connection with this harsh drama of survival, ranging from the backwaters of Kerala to the raging sandstorms and strong winds of the deserts, the grief and loss that Najeeb experiences.
For a truly wholesome experience, ‘The Goat Life’ must be watched on the big screen.
