‘Aadujeevitham’: 5 Compelling Reasons Why You Must Watch Prithviraj Sukumaran’s ‘The Goat Life’

‘Aadujeevitham’ aka ‘The Goat Life’, directed by Blessy and starring Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role has released all over. The movie tells the real-life story of Najeeb Muhammad (played by Prithviraj Sukumaran), a Malayali immigrant labourer who finds himself forced into slavery as a goatherd on a secluded farm in Saudi Arabia.

If you’re still contemplating watching ‘Aadujeevitham’ aka ‘The Goat Life’, here are a few reasons why you should definitely catch this hard-hitting masterpiece this weekend:

You’ve seen him perform and dance, but you’ve probably never seen him in this avatar before. To perform the role, Prithviraj Sukumaran had to grow and lose weight to depict Najeeb Muhammad’s physical metamorphosis onscreen. He acquired 98 kilos while portraying the role in the film’s opening moments with a potbelly and had to drop weight to 67 kilograms by the end of the film, almost fainting on location. His performance will stay in your mind long after the credits roll.

‘Aadujeevitham’ aka ‘The Goat Life’ is an adaptation of Benyamin’s 2008 Malayalam book ‘Aadujeevitham’, which is based on the true tale of Najeeb Muhammad, a Malayali immigrant labourer forced into slavery as a goatherd on a remote farm in Saudi Arabia. Blessy, the film's director, had wanted to adapt ‘Aadujeevitham’ since he first read the novel in 2008. Prithviraj was cast in the same year. It took nearly 16 years for the project to reach the big screen.

Blessy wonderfully portrays a world of absolute helplessness and fear that a man must live through when civilization fails him in ‘Aadujeevitham’ aka ‘The Goat Life’, the finest survival adventure drama ever produced. The national cinema award-winning filmmaker keeps close to the original material, and each scene in the movie appears to be right out of a dream. Blessy’s great direction and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s outstanding performance make this film a must-see for anybody who believes in the strength of the human spirit.

In a recent interview, Prithviraj Sukumaran stated that they preferred either Hans Zimmer or AR Rahman for ‘Aadujeevitham’ aka ‘The Goat Life’. But you can’t leave out ‘The GOAT’ of Indian musical creations, thus AR Rahman joined the project in 2018. AR Rahman’s background score enhances each scene in the film, and songs like ‘Omane’ and ‘Periyone’ match the storyline well. The Malayalam and Tamil soundtracks will make you fall in love with the film and make you feel like you’re a part of it.

Sunil K.S. and K.U. Mohanan, cinematographers of ‘Aadujeevitham’ aka ‘The Goat Life’, create a magnificent atmosphere by masterfully executing their art. The cinematographers have knocked it out of the park with this one, from the Jordan deserts to the views from God’s own country, Kerala. Every scene in the film is shot from Najeeb Muhammad’s point of view, and the excellent cinematic methods and editing assist to convey the feeling of complete powerlessness, horror, loneliness, and despair.

So, what are you waiting for? If you’re a fan of films that celebrate the tenacity of the human spirit, ‘Aadujeevitham’ aka ‘The Goat Life’ must be on your watch list this week.