Directed by: Blessy
Screenplay by: Blessy
Story by: Benyamin
Based on: Aadujeevitham by Benyamin
Produced by: Blessy, Jimmy Jean-Louis,Steven Adams
Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran
Cinematography: Sunil K. S.
Edited by: A. Sreekar Prasad
Music by: A. R. Rahman
Production companies: Visual Romance Image, Makers, Jet Media Production, Alta Global Media
Distributed by: Magic Frames (India)
Release date: 10 April 2024
Countries: India ,United States
Languages: Malayalam ,Arabic
Cast
- Prithviraj Sukumaran as Najeeb Muhammed
- Jimmy Jean-Louis
- Amala Paul
- Rik Aby
- Talib al Balushi
Production
Development
In 2010, Blessy planned to make a movie based on Benyamin’s novel ‘Aadujeevitham.’ He wanted it to be a big film and started working on it with actor Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role. The novel tells the story of Najeeb Muhammad, who becomes an enslaved person in Saudi Arabia. Blessy got the rights to adapt the novel and began writing the screenplay, adding more to the story.
They planned to start filming in August 2010 in Dubai and Rajasthan, but it didn’t happen. In 2012, Benyamin said the film was still being discussed but was postponed because the production cost was too high for a Malayalam film. Blessy and Prithviraj talked about the film since 2008, but it faced delays. In 2015, Blessy found a producer, K. G. Abraham, and the project was approved as a 3D film.
They officially announced it in November 2015. Jimmy Jean-Louis and Steven Adams joined as producers. Prithviraj said Aadujeevitham was meant to be a unique film like ‘Life of Pi,’ with a unique non-linear narrative.
In May 2016, Blessy said he was working on the Hindi remake of his Malayalam film ‘Thanmathra’ before ‘Aadujeevitham.’ He also worked on a documentary called ‘100 Years of Chrysostom,’ which took two years to complete. In October 2016, Blessy said they would start filming ‘Aadujeevitham’ in early 2017 and release it in 2018. However, in mid-2017, he said the locations were not decided, and production would start in November 2017, taking 18 months to release.
Blessy talked about the challenges of adapting the novel. The novel uses soliloquy, but it’s hard to show on screen. The film’s story is different from the book, and they had to make changes to the visual experience. They decided not to use subtitles for Arabic parts, giving viewers the same experience as the character Najeeb, who doesn’t understand Arabic. Prithviraj mentioned that only about 20 per cent of the film has dialogues.
Casting
Prithviraj agreed to do the movie while he was working on another film called ‘Pokkiri Raja’ in 2008. The character Najeeb Muhammad is based on a natural person with the same name from Benyamin’s novel.
Prithviraj talked about Najeeb’s character, saying that even though he’s not a very religious person himself, Najeeb is very devoted to his faith. The character goes through a journey—physically, mentally, and spiritually. For three years in the story, Najeeb interacts more with animals than people, so Prithviraj has to ‘become’ like one of them. Blessy, the director, wanted an actor who could dedicate at least one-and-a-half years to the film, and Prithviraj agreed.
Prithviraj had to change his weight for the role. At the start, he gained weight to 98 kilograms with a pot belly, and then he had to lose weight to 67 kilograms by the end of the movie. He lost 31 kilograms but mentioned that he followed an unhealthy diet that he wouldn’t recommend to anyone. He even blacked out while filming a scene, but there was always a doctor on set.
As of 2015, no other actors were confirmed for the movie besides Prithviraj. In 2016, Blessy said he was looking for actors in places like Somalia. In 2017, they released a casting call on social media for a young male and female and a middle-aged female. In February 2018, Amala Paul confirmed on social media that she would be playing the role of Sainu, Najeeb’s wife, at different stages of her life. Blessy said this role would show Amala’s talent based on her previous roles.
Jimmy Jean-Louis, a Haitian actor, not only co-produced the movie but also played a significant role as Ibrahim Khadiri. Talib al Balushi, an Omani actor, played the role of Najeeb’s boss, and Rik Aby, a Sudanese actor based in the UAE, also had a role in the film.
Filming
The movie was supposed to be in Saudi Arabia, but they couldn’t film there, so they went to other countries instead. Blessy, the director, decided to use 3D technology to make the movie better. He thought it could capture the emotions and atmosphere of the desert especially. The main scenes of the movie happen in the desert.
They started filming on March 1, 2018, in Thiruvalla, Kerala and planned to finish in 150 days over 18 months. About 25 per cent of the movie was done by April. The second part of filming started in Jordan in January 2019, and Prithviraj joined at the end of that month.
The following schedule was supposed to happen in March-April 2020 in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan, but it got delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming finally started on March 16, but some actors got quarantined, and some couldn’t reach because of cancelled flights. They faced challenges but continued shooting. After Jordan went into lockdown, the Kerala chief minister helped them get assistance to continue filming while staying isolated. They had to stop on March 24 but got permission to shoot for another 17 days, which was later revoked on March 27. They asked for help from the Kerala government to bring them back, and after a wait, they resumed filming in April until May 17. They returned to India on May 22, and even though they didn’t finish all the scenes, they got crucial shots.
The following schedule started in April 2022 in Timimoun, Sahara desert, Algeria. According to the plan, they needed 40 days in Algeria and 35 days in Jordan. The Algerian schedule went on until May, and then they moved to Wadi Rum, Jordan, in the same month. They finished the Jordanian schedule on June 14, completing the international filming. They then filmed in Ranni, Kerala, on June 22 for the final schedule, finishing everything on July 14, 2022. The cinematographers were K. U. Mohanan and Sunil K. S., Resul Pookutty was the sound designer, A. Sreekar Prasad was the editor, Stephy Zaviour was the costume designer, and Ranjith Ambady was the makeup artist. In October 2022, Prithviraj said the movie is in post-production and aims to be in a film festival in 2023.
Music
A. R. Rahman created the music for the movie. He shared his involvement in the project in January 2018, making a return to Malayalam cinema after a long time. In November 2019, Rahman mentioned that he finished recording a song by Vijay Yesudas, and they already shot visuals for it. He also said he recorded a song with Chinmayi for the movie during the promotion of another film. In May 2022, Rahman said he hadn’t started making the whole music score yet but completed some individual songs. He described these songs as being mostly related to specific situations, like a lullaby or a lament, and also a love song. Even though he was supposed to do only one song, he ended up making three to four songs for the film.
Release
In December 2022, while promoting Kaapa, Prithviraj said that Aadujeevitham might premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival if they finish the post-production work on time. If that happens, the movie will come out worldwide in the latter part of 2023. But if they can’t make it to Cannes, they’ll premiere at the next big film festival. In April 2023, an unexpected trailer for the film was released by Deadline Hollywood. Blessy, the director, was not happy about it. He explained that the trailer was meant for agents to show at film festivals and for business purposes, not for the public. He said the post-production work on the clips, like colour grading and music, wasn’t finished, and the music was only composed on a keyboard. Blessy said it was not the official theatrical release trailer, but the production team released it officially afterwards. In May 2023, since they didn’t go to Cannes, Blessy shared a plan to show the film at the Venice Film Festival first. If they finish the remaining special effects and fix the music by mid-June, they will then release it in theatres in October 2023. But in November, they announced that the movie would have its worldwide theatrical release on April 10, 2024.
