The Goat Life: 16 years in the making, here's everything you need to know about Najeeb, on whom Prithviraj's character is based

Prithviraj Sukumaran in The Goat Life

Life transforms into a master alchemist when it presents an insurmountable challenge to a select few ordinary individuals, who then evolve into an extraordinary breed of warriors, etching their names in human history. Najeeb, the protagonist of Aadujeevitham, has emerged as a beacon of inspiration for countless souls far beyond the borders of God's own Country, Kerala. The film directed by Blessy has been in the making for 16 years. Blessy has been Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran who plays the lead role has also been associated with the project from the beginning.

The highly anticipated film 'The Goat Life' (Aadujeevitham), starring Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role, which is based on his autobiographical book written by Benyamin, is set to hit the screens this Thursday (March 28, 2024). As the film approaches the release date, we are drawn closer to the extraordinary journey of Najeeb, the real-life inspiration behind the story. Najeeb endured unimaginable suffering as he spent two years in a desolate desert, devoid of any human contact except for his cruel employer who subjected him to torment. Struggling with the lack of basic necessities, he had no spare clothes to change into and single-handedly tended to a herd of 700 goats. Gradually, he lost faith in his own humanity and began to identify himself as one of the goats.

Najeeb, like many uneducated individuals from Kerala, fell victim to the deceitful promises of overseas employment. Despite his innocent nature, he found himself trapped in a gruelling and brutal job upon reaching the deserts in 1992. His treatment was inhumane, enduring physical abuse and deprivation of proper sustenance. For two long years, he was only provided with a single set of clothing and was unable to bathe. His daily food consisted solely of dry Kuboos, which he had to moisten with goat milk in order to consume. Unfortunately, the milk from the goats, living in unsanitary conditions, often carried a foul odour, further worsening his already dire situation. Nevertheless, Najeeb persevered with the sole desire to survive.

After a couple of years of misery and melancholy, he had a chance to break out free, but it wasn't so easy. Experience those moments that gave him unfading scars, pain and finally the road to freedom. What's going to be the emotional lump in the throats of audiences are the portions, where Najeeb left his wife when she was 8 months pregnant, and didn't know if he had a son or daughter for the next couple of years. The crew assures that audiences will be taken for an emotional roller-coaster experience that will give lump in throats and smile on faces as they walk out of the theatres with a sweetest message "Hope is a Good Thing".

To embody the role of Najeeb, actor Prithviraj, who agreed to be a part of the film in 2008, had to undergone extreme transformation. The idea was that I looked like somebody who does not have access to enough food, and was starving most of the time. The only way I could do that is to actually adopt that process, which means that my transformation was almost entirely based on fasting. At times, I used to fast for up to 72 hours. I would drink water and black coffee, but nothing else," said that actor who lost 31 kgs and went through the process twice as the film's shoot was halted in between due to the pandemic.

'The Goat Life' is produced by Visual Romance, and is directed by Blessy, based on the novel written by Benyamin. AR Rahman is composing music for this masterpiece, which has cinematography handled by Sunil KS, and editing by Sreekar Prasad. The star-cast comprises Prithviraj Sukumaran, Amala Paul, Jimmy Jean-Louis, KR Gokul, Talib Al Balushi and Rik.