28 March (Punjab Khabarnama) : Survival dramas always find resonance with the audience and the recent super hit Malayalam film, Manjummel Boys, also proved this. Right on its heels comes another Malayalam survival drama, Aadujeevitham or The Goat Life, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran. Interestingly, while both these films are based on real life, they are different in almost every other aspect. The Goat Life, directed by Blessy, is adapted from writer Benyamin’s novel The Goat Days, which narrates the story of Malayali immigrant Najeeb Muhammed.
The premise
Najeeb (Prithviraj Sukumaran) is living happily with his wife Saini (Amala Paul) in Kerala, when he decides to get a job in the Gulf to give his family a better life. He lands up with his friend, Hakim, in Saudi Arabia and ends up with a local man, who they think is their boss and get taken to an unknown destination. Najeeb is dropped off in the middle of the desert with a local farmer and has no connection to the outside world. He only speaks Malayalam and his desperate attempts to communicate with Kafeel, the boss, go nowhere.
He finds himself as a slave herding goats in the middle of the desert, given little food and practically no water, and desperately wants to escape and go back home. As days roll into weeks and months and even years, how does Najeeb survive this horrendous life of torture and slavery and get back home? This is where Ibrahim Khadiri (Jimmy Jean-Louis) and Hakim come in. What follows is the rest of what The Goat Life is about.
What works
Director Blessy has chosen a tough story to bring alive on screen but has done a commendable job of it. He is not in a rush to tell Najeeb’s story and you see every step of how Najeeb changes and adapts to this new life. The transformation of a happy and healthy Najeeb swimming freely in the Kerala backwaters to a starving, desperately thin and unkempt one in the desert among rugged goats, is captured beautifully through the stunning visuals.
Every feeling that Najeeb has is brought out through small details, like the moment between him and the young goat or when he says goodbye to the goats. There is just the vast expanse of the desert, the goat herd and a suffering Najeeb through most of the first half and Blessy brings out the relationship between the three poignantly – one just cannot imagine what the real Najeeb must have gone through. In the second half, Blessy moves towards the arduous and a near-impossible journey to freedom which Najeeb and Hakim face.
There are many scenes that stand out
Prithviraj Sukumaran has delivered an extraordinary performance as Najeeb. He has gotten into the skin of the character – literally – to play Najeeb and his commitment must be applauded. Right from losing weight to his shaggy beard, black teeth and dirty nails, the Malayalam star has shown that he has given it all for this role.
There are many scenes, which stand out and show that no other actor could have done this role. The scene, for instance, where he’s reed-thin and walks naked to the water tank to take a bath after years really hits you emotionally. Jimmy Jean-Louis, Talib (Kafeel) and KR Gokul (Hakim) also stand out with their performances while Amala Paul, who just has a few scenes, delivers what’s required.
Technically, Sunil KS has done stellar work as the cinematographer as his visuals are very vivid and capture and convey the mood of every aspect of Najeeb’s journey compellingly. For instance, you can visually see the thirst that Najeeb feels and as he quenches his parched lips, you feel like drinking water too.
AR Rahman’s music makes you connect with film
Music maestro AR Rahman has elevated the film to another level with background score. In all of director Blessy’s films, the music plays a very important role in conveying the tone and emotions of the film and The Goat Life’s score is no exception. The BGM is a combination of numerous musical styles (Arabic, Indian, Islamic, etc) and captures the life of these men in the Gulf and in India. In effect, Rahman’s background music makes you connect emotionally with this hard-hitting survival drama, right from the Kerala backwaters to the fierce desert sandstorms and the loud winds, to the grief and loss Najeeb experiences.
Final thoughts
At nearly three hours, Blessy’s film is a tad long as it tends to drag in some parts, especially in the second half. The Goat Life must be watched on the big screen for a truly wholesome experience.
