Prithviraj-starrer Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life, which swept the 54th Kerala State Film Awards, is embroiled in a controversy over its portrayal of characters from Saudi Arabia. Aadujeevitham is a survival drama based on a Malayalam novel of the same name. The film is based on the real life incident of Najeeb, an immigrant from Kerala, who was abducted and forced to work as a human slave in Saudi Arabia.
Responding to the controversy, director Blessy issued a statement on August 24, saying that the movie did not intend to hurt the sentiments of any individual, race, or country. He said that attempts are being made to create social unrest by “misinterpreting” the movie.
“The movie Goat Life is a cinematic adaptation of the best-selling Malayalam novel by Benyamin published twenty years ago and translated into many languages over the years. The movie relentlessly tried to highlight the nobleness of the human soul even in the heart of a harsh person. Najeeb’s faith in God got strengthened as the days passed by and God came to him first in the form of Ibrahim Qadri and then in the form of the noble Arab gentleman with the Rolls Royce,” Blessy said.
He added, “I tried to give this message consistently throughout the movie and never intended to hurt the sentiments of any individual, race, or country. The movie carefully tried to portray the compassion and empathy of the Arab people through the character of the kind gentleman who (without whom Najeeb would have died on the road) rescues Najeeb taking him in his expensive and blemish free Rolls Royce, offering him water and encouraging him to sleep and taking him to a place where Najeeb could get help.”
In the film, Najeeb gets abducted by a Kafeel, and is forced to herd camels and goats in a desert. Najeeb eventually tries to escape from the Kafeel and wanders through the desert in search of the city. When he finally manages to reach a main road, he is rescued by Ibrahim Qadri. Qadri offers him water and drops him in a nearby town.
Expressing disappointment over the controversy, Blessy said that the movie should be treated only as a work of art. “I am issuing this statement as I noticed that there are some attempts to create social unrest by misinterpreting the contents of the movie. I call upon all to abstain from any efforts to attribute anything beyond what I as the scriptwriter, director and producer of the movie ever intended to communicate.”
Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life was released in theatres on March 28. After the successful run at the box-office, the film was released on OTT platform Netflix on July 19.
The film won many awards including the Best Director, Best Actor, Screenplay, Cinematography, Make-up, Sound Mixing, Popular Film and Colourist at the Kerala State Film Awards.
There were reports that Omani actor Dr Talib Al Balushi, who played the role of the inhumane Kafeel in the film, was banned from Saudi Arabia. The news is, however, false, Asianet reported. Talib told the news website that he has not received any notification from either the Saudi or Oman governments regarding his ban. He said that despite playing a villainous role, fans around the world have appreciated and praised his performance.
Talib is set to visit Kerala to celebrate the success of the film at the Kerala State Film Awards.