The much awaited magnum opus "Aadujeevitham" from Blessy sir has finally hit the screens after almost 16 years from the time he decided to join hands with Benyamin and immortalize the latter's acclaimed work into celluloid. With a run time that was a shade below 3 h, the veteran film maker transports us to Najeeb's world where we are hooked onto the emotional drama that unfolds in the desert of Saudi Arabia. It was undoubtedly an immersive cinematic experience that transcends boundaries and tugs at our heart cords with its authenticity in its narration & performances.
As majority of us would have read Benyamin's iconic novel, I guess there isn't need to mention about what this movie is about. However, in the interest of those who haven't read it; it is essentially about Najeeb (Prithvi) who migrates to Saudi in the hope of giving his family a better life. He was accompanied by Hakeem (Gokul) who also came with similar dreams. Unfortunately, fate had other plans & Najeeb ends up being forcefully made to slave at a masara in the middle of nowhere. The hell like experience that he had to go through & how he eventually made it back to his family is what this movie is about.
The biggest challenge in making a novel into a movie is the micro-detailing that the author pours into his creation due to which the reader literally feels like watching a film. Hence to break that mold that the reader would have created & offer something different for the viewer, is a herculean task for any film-maker especially when it is something as iconic as Benyamin's 'Aadujeevitham'. This is where the brilliance of Blessy came to the fore as he captured the essence of the story in its entirety & crafted it in such a unique manner that made it appear novel yet stayed true to Najeeb's struggles. The veteran director is a pro when it comes to emotional dramas as he knows how to expertly dial it up without overblowing it & that's exactly what he has done here. He has marshalled his resources brilliantly & that is pretty much evident in all the scenes with the technical team putting in top notch performances for which kudos to each & every crew member.
To start off, Sunil K S deserves all the accolades that is going to come his way for the breathtaking visuals that he has captured be it the desert landscape or the lush green geography. This includes many iconic shots such as the camel eye, the oasis, Najeeb quenching his thirst amidst the goats, transition from desert to village from water that overflowed etc. His efforts were complimented by Sreekar Prasad's editing which kept us engaged despite its length. Another major positive is AR Rahman's music, who I don't think has attended so many promotional events for any movie & it would be fair to say that it is undoubtedly his best album in recent times. The sound design by Resul Pookutty was excellent & be sure, to watch this movie in a very good theatre to appreciate his effort. Kudos to Ranjith Ambady & Stephy Xavier for their impressive efforts in the make up & costume department.
What do I even say about Prithvi? He was just brilliant as he produced his career best performance in a role that I actually thought was beyond his caliber based on his past performances. When I initially heard about this movie, the first actor who I thought would be perfect as Najeeb was Vikram. But boy!!! the physical (could possibly speak of him for this aspect in the same breath as Christian Bale & Vikram) and emotional transformation that Prithvi brought to the character was sensational which was reflected in his gait, eyes and even in his dialogue delivery especially in the latter sequences where we literally hear him speak in a tone reminiscent of a goat. Equally impressive was Gokul who rocked in the climax sequence along with Jimmy Jean Louis. Despite limited screen space, Amala Paul gave a fine performance and their chemistry was palpable. The rest of the cast such as Talib Balushi (as Khafeel), Rik Aby (as Jasser) etc were also good.
Verdict: It is undoubtedly going to sweep all the awards that are on offer & hopefully, will be able to garner good numbers at the box office as it certainly deserves to be watched though I wouldn't be surprised if there are people who might not quite warm up to it. The limited screens in the Middle East is a concern and could affect the numbers, but hope it still manages to touch the 100C mark. If at all there is one aspect that I would have liked to have seen more, then that is with regard to Najeeb's interaction with the herd. But then it is quite understandable as to why Blessy had opted not to explore of it. Anyway in short, dont miss it & do watch it in theatres itself!!!
Rating: 4.25/5
