Prithviraj Sukumaran Reveals Blessy Has Put His Life Savings Into Aadujeevitham: It Took Us 10 Years

Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran is currently gearing up for his upcoming film The Goat Life. During an interview with PTI, he said it took him and director Blessy a decade to mount their passion project Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life), a real-life survival drama, as revenue models in Malayalam cinema weren’t as streamlined back then as they are today. The actor also revealed that Blessy put his life savings into the project, owing to which the film is of outmost importance to him.

Prithviraj Sukumaran narrates Blessy's struggle during The Goat Life shoot

Based on the 2008 bestselling novel Aadujeevitham by Benyamin, the film follows Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant labourer who finds himself forced into slavery as a goatherd in a secluded farm of Saudi Arabia. During the interview, Prithviraj reflected on Blessy's struggle throughout the filming process.

Prithviraj said, "It took us 10 years to finally get to a point where we could think of doing this and maybe think of making the money back. The revenue streams have opened up and the industry has changed. Finances were never in question because Blessy is producing it himself and I know, in all honesty, that he has put his life savings into it."

Obstacles in The Goat Life shooting

When they started shooting for the movie, the pandemic broke out. Due to pandemic restrictions, the crew was stranded in the Jordan desert for 70 days from March to May 2020. "We had to suspend shooting for almost two years. Then we got back to finish the shoot. We went back to Algeria and Jordan, and then to Kerala. I guess that is the story that this film had to live through. This film had to be made," said Prithviraj.

The actor said he is happy to be working at a time when somebody sitting in Srinagar can find out about a fantastic Malayalam film that is available on a streamer. Produced by Visual Romance, The Goat Life also features Amala Paul, K.R. Gokul, as well as Hollywood actor Jimmy Jean-Louis and Arab actors Talib al Balushi and Rik Aby in pivotal roles.