The Goat Life is a 2024 Malayalam-language survival drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Blessy. The film is an international co-production involving companies in India and the United States. It is an adaptation of the 2008 Malayalam best-selling novel Aadujeevitham, written by Benyamin, which is loosely based on the story of Najeeb Muhammad, a Malayali immigrant worker in Saudi Arabia. The film was initially banned in GCC countries except for the UAE. Subsequently, the ban was lifted in all the countries except in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The novel was also previously banned in the same countries. The film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran alongside Jimmy Jean-Louis and K. R. Gokul, with Talib Al Balushi, Rik Aby, Amala Paul and Shobha Mohan in supporting roles.
Blessy had wanted to adapt Aadujeevitham ever since he read the novel in 2008 and cast Prithviraj as the lead. The following year, he bought the rights from Benyamin and began writing the screenplay. However, due to budget constraints which prevented substantial progress, the film went into development hell. Blessy spent years searching for a producer, finally finding one in 2015, allowing the project to gain momentum. Jimmy Jean-Louis and Steven Adams joined Blessy as co-producers. A. R. Rahman composed the film's original soundtrack.
Principal photography took place in phases between March 2018 and July 2022 through six schedules in the deserts of Wadi Rum, Jordan and the Algerian desert in the Sahara with some scenes shot in Kerala, India. The crew was stranded in Jordan for 70 days from March to May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic's restrictions. They were eventually repatriated to India via the Indian government's evacuation programme, the Vande Bharat Mission. Filming concluded on 14 July 2022. The cinematography was done by Sunil K. S while the editing was handled by A. Sreekar Prasad.
The film was released worldwide on 28 March 2024 to critical acclaim from critics, who praised Sukumaran's performance, technical aspects, music, direction and the editing. The film grossed over ₹158 crore (US$16 million). The Goat Life emerged as one the highest-grossing Malayalam films. A. R. Rahman won Hollywood Music in Media Awards and Hollywood Independent Music Awards in 2024. In Kerala State Awards, the film won multiple awards.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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