The Goat Life

Story:

The Goat Life, known as Aadujeevitham in Malayalam, is an upcoming Indian Malayalam-language survival drama film helmed by Blessy, who serves as its writer, director, and co-producer. This international collaboration involves companies from both India and the United States. Based on the 2008 Malayalam novel Aadujeevitham by Benyamin, which itself is inspired by true events, the movie follows the story of Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant laborer coerced into servitude as a goatherd on a remote farm in Saudi Arabia, portrayed by Prithviraj Sukumaran.

The journey of bringing this film to fruition has been arduous. Blessy’s desire to adapt Aadujeevitham sparked in 2008 upon reading the novel, with Prithviraj’s casting following shortly after. However, the project faced challenges, primarily financial, delaying progress for several years. It wasn’t until 2015 that Blessy secured a producer, with Jimmy Jean-Louis and Steven Adams joining as co-producers. A. R. Rahman was enlisted to compose the film’s music.

Principal photography unfolded across multiple phases spanning from March 2018 to July 2022, with shooting occurring in the deserts of Wadi Rum, Jordan, and the Sahara, Algeria. Some scenes were also captured in Kerala, India. The production encountered a significant setback when the crew found themselves stranded in the Jordanian desert for 70 days due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. They were eventually repatriated to India via the Vande Bharat Mission. Shot in 3D, filming concluded on July 14, 2022.

The Goat Life is set for release on March 28, 2024.