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Too bad this is getting delayed or might not even release in the Gulf.

They won't allow movies to release for the flimsiest of reasons. So a movie that solely shows how harsh migrant workers can be treated in GCC nations will never see the light of day.

Book was banned in the Gulf nations, and you expect they allow movie based on it?:D

It's not banned. It is releasing in UAE. Other countries apparently delay in censoring (may end up being banned also).

Looking forward to this one. Massive release in Bangalore. I see almost 300 shows charted in Bangalore. :Shockked:

Arabikatha touched upon the same topic with the political storyline included as well. Was that not released in the GCC countries?

The two are not comparable. Cuba Mukundan takes up the desert farm job in UAE by choice, to hide from his friends and well-wishers. Najeeb is kidnapped from the airport and trafficked into doing slave labour on a farm in the KSA. Cuba Mukundan had no plans of leaving the farm. Najeeb's life was similar to that of the goats on the farm (hence the title); he had to escape and cross the desert to get out of it.

(Disclaimer: I have only read the book)

Edit: interview with Najeeb - https://www.thenewsminute.com/featur...eevitham-74701

My memory of Arabikatha was how it touched upon the horrid conditions under which blue collar workers were made to work on in the GCC countries, and not so much what led Cuba Mukundan to move there. Having seen a lot of such oppressed folks personally, i was able to relate to it and hence my memory of those events from the movie.

While there's a lot of difference between the two stories, the common theme being the horrid working conditions and almost slave-like treatment of workers makes me classify them as similar in my head. I agree not everyone would see it the same way.

P.S. : I haven't read the book and only have a brief outline of the story and hence waiting to experience the movie. :thumbs up

Hmm. My memory is different - its focus as far as I recall was on Cuba Mukundan's beliefs and his life choices that led to a miserable existence in the UAE - one that he chose in part as penance - and his eventual redemption. The people who conspired to push him into such a life were Malayalees (Shivaji), the people who exploited him were Malayalees (Jayasuriya) and the ones who eventually redeemed him were also Malayalees (Indrajith). The big businessman pulling all the strings was a Malayalee too (Jagathi). Its portrayal of the work conditions and employers' atrocities were somewhat incidental to the story and not its main thrust - which was a play in the same genre that Sandesham did, political satire.

In particular, it did not place the local citizenry front and centre as a people indulging in modern slavery and as cruel workmasters.

And heard from my sister that shows on the weekend are yet to be open in major screens.

Same happens here as well where PVR opens weekend bookings only from Thursday. Expected the same for Aadujeevitham here but they opened up bookings for all multiplexes for 12 days this Sunday. Saw this on Monday morning and luckily got 2 seats for 31st March.

:thumbs up


Nope. Arabikatha didn't have any one wearing a thobe being the villain. Like @binand have said, it was compatriots and other expats who were the villains, the country just played as a background setting. Another movie comparable to Aadujeevitham would be Khaddama (2011). It was not allowed to be released in GCC markets as it showed the maid being mistreated by the people in the house (locals) and the establishment(laws there).


Trust me. The 'horrid' conditions shown in Arabikatha are an extremely polished one and barely scratches the surface. I would say the conditions shown are actually dream living conditions for many people working there. Problem is the movies on the Gelf NRIs are still being made by outsiders (non NRIs). So it is either sob stories on slave like conditions on one extreme or extremely flashy Dufai lifestyle on the other end. Yet to come across a movie that actually was made by someone with/had skin in the game.

Thank you. Happy to stand corrected. Something in that movie triggered that memory in my head and seems to stand to date, so good to hear a different perspective.

There are movies that are based in a specific location or era to highlight something about that milieu, and then there are movies which do that as only incidental to the plot (and sometimes, story/script laziness). Apart from the two mentioned (Gaddama & Aadjujeevitham), I believe Perumazhakalam is another movie that falls in the first category. And movies like Diamond Necklace, Arabikkatha fall in the second.

Aadujeevitham (Goatlife) (Malayalam):

A very well-made movie, with great visuals, amazing music, visual effects and background score. I have no doubt it's Prithviraj's best work to date. The rest of the cast also give good performances. In the technical aspects, it is Blessy's best work.

Those who do not know the story will definitely find themselves more "affected" by the events unfolding on screen.

I haven't read the book the movie is based on. But the story is well-known to me. So although I didn't know the details at every turn, I had some expectations set, and I think this affected the experience of watching the movie. Those who have read the book may find this to be an even bigger issue.

Perhaps because of this, I didn't feel very emotional watching the movie expect in one scene towards the end. It's not a tearjerker like some of Blessy's earlier movies.

But that is just my personal experience. As a movie, I cannot really find fault with it, except maybe that the desert scenes in the second half could've been trimmed a bit. The director Blessy and the entire crew deserve appreciation. I would recommend this movie to everyone.

Aadujeevitham - The Goat Life (Malayalam)



Technically this movie had it all. Great storyline, music from AR Rahman, Resul Pookutty, Blessy and Prithviraj’s massive efforts to get into character.

Full marks for camerawork, editing, location and music. Somewhere in this magnum opus i felt it failed to invoke the sense of loss I believed I would be led to feel. IMHO, the second half could have been trimmed to avoid the drag however I felt if this character was played by perhaps Jayasuriya, it would have been elevated to a different level altogether.

This is no doubt one of Prithvi’s best roles to date and he deserves kudos for his efforts in bringing Najeeb’s story to the forefront of our minds.

Definitely worth watching however it falls short of me calling it a 5/5.

Aadujeevitham - The Goat Life

A great movie and extremely well done. The effort that has gone into the making shows and Prithivi has thrown everything into the role. The fact that someone actually lived through this makes it even more poignant. Fully marks to Blessy also for sticking with this for 16 years.

On the downside,as mentioned above, could have been a little shorter. Although it hits you deeply, because I had read the book, knowing what all happens and how it happens in fairly good detail, it may have prevented a fully emotional connect.

Rating 4/5.