‘Never Intended To Hurt Anyone’s Sentiments’: Director Blessy On Aadujeevitham Receiving Hate

Director Blessy’s latest Malayalam survival drama Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life has been making buzz since the project got confirmed. The film was released theatrically in March and on Netflix in July. The film, which features Prithviraj Sukumaran, Jimmy Jean-Louis, and KR Gokul in lead roles. The film received mixed responses from the viewers; but now, a hate campaign against Aadujeevitham has begun – accusing the makers of the film for insulting the Saudis. Seeing the hatred, Blessy said that he did not intend to hurt the sentiments of any country and that false propaganda should be stopped. He also shared a long post regarding this, which is currently going viral.

Blessy’s note begins with an introduction to Aadujeevatham, a film adaptation of Benyamin’s best-selling Malayalam novel published nearly 20 years ago. He also pointed out that this novel has been translated into many languages.

Blessy wrote, “The film has carefully tried to highlight the dignity and honour of the human spirit, even in the heart of a cruel person. Najeeb Muhammed saw God in the form of Ibrahim Khadiri, who saved him from the desert, and in the form of a noble and rich Arab who came in a Rolls Royce. They saved him from his bad situation regardless of Najeeb’s faith, religion, or homeland. My whole effort was to convey this message clearly throughout the film. I never intended to hurt the sentiments of any person, people, or country. The film tried to portray honestly the mercy and compassion of the Arab people through the character of a kind man who saves Najeeb and takes him in his beautiful and expensive Rolls Royce, gives him water, lets him sleep, and takes him to a place where he can get help, comfort, and escape. Without him, Najib would have died. Restaurant staff, detention centre workers, and checkpoint staff were recognised as models of kindness, compassion, and empathy. The director, screenwriter, and owner of the company Visual Romance, which produced the film, are fully responsible for the production of this film. There is no involvement or involvement of any outside person or company.” Blessy said.

Aadujeevitham is based on the real-life story of Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant labourer, who was forced into slavery in Saudi Arabia as a goatherd on secluded farms in the deserts by the native Arabs.