Director Blessy interview: On Oscar bid for ‘Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life’ and AR Rahman’s magic

This has been a rewarding week for Blessy. The musical score of the noted Indian filmmaker’s survival drama Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life has secured nomination in two categories at the prestigious Hollywood Music in Media Awards and is set to compete for the Golden Peacock at the upcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa, 2024.

In Los Angeles with composer A.R. Rahman to make a bid for the Academy Awards in the general category, Blessy says the film has received widespread appreciation globally, leading to excellent viewership on Netflix, reaching audiences in 192 countries. “I was anxious about how the film would be received, but to my surprise, after the first screening, an older American woman approached me with tears in her eyes. That moment made me realise the film is truly connecting with people. Screenings are underway, and we’re hopeful for a positive outcome.”

Unfolding like a spiritual cousin of Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, the film is an adaptation of Benyami’s best-selling Malayalam novel Aadujeevitham. It follows the travails and tenacity of Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant labourer who ends up herding goats in the Arabian desert. After years of struggle in deeply inhuman conditions, where every breath is a battle, he finds a way to escape with the help of a mysterious Somalian goatherd, Khadiri.

Shot in punishing conditions, the film’s theme of migration and survival evocatively expressed by Prithviraj Sukumaran has cut through geographical and linguistic barriers to become a symbol of the human spirit amidst adversity.

Blessy describes his collaboration with A.R. Rahman as “incredibly thrilling.” “I could feel that, like me, he was experiencing something almost divine while working on this film,” he says.

Excerpts from an interview….

What was your brief to Rahman for ‘The Goat Life’?

The brief I gave him for the Arabic song was that the character, struggling to survive the relentless desert, has lost all hope. The song is their cry – a prayer to a higher power for salvation. They feel as though they’re sinking into a bottomless pit, clinging to each breath to stay alive. It’s intensely powerful. I truly believe Rahman has woven magic with both the songs and the background score. The BGM alone captures the character’s struggle, the raw emotion of their fight for survival in the desert. In a way, the score itself tells its own story, mirroring the depth of the character’s emotions.

On the sets of ‘Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life’

How did you ensure that the visual spectacle doesn’t overpower Najeeb’s internal struggle?

As a director, I’ve always held a deep belief in the power of raw human emotions on screen. In this film, nature itself became a character—a silent yet powerful presence with its own emotional journey, one that I endeavoured to convey just as profoundly as the human story.

Each shot in the film was thoughtfully crafted to mirror the characters’ emotions, with the shot breakdown meticulously designed to match the pacing and the protagonist’s shifting emotional states. During the escape, the frame rate was adjusted to reflect Najeeb’s waning energy as he traveled. Top-angle shots were used sparingly; for instance, at the beginning of the Arabic song, as Khadiri prays for divine aid, the camera pulls back infinitely, symbolising his prayer ascending to the heavens. Wide shots were employed to capture the vastness, isolation, and haunting fear of the desert.

What was the biggest challenge in adapting the voluminous book?

In literature, chapters can stand on their own, but cinema requires a continuous emotional flow. In the book, the story is conveyed through the protagonist’s inner monologue, with his emotions expressed through words. In cinema, however, we needed to convey his emotions through actions to connect with the audience. In the book, the Arabic dialogue is translated into Malayalam, but in the film, we kept the Arabic language intact to maintain authenticity.

Why have you kept the references to the carnal desires of Najeeb out of the film?

Najib’s decision to escape the desert is deeply rooted in his unwavering love for his wife, Sainu. This love becomes his anchor, the force that keeps him going, even when every part of him wants to give up. It’s not just his will to survive, but the thought of her that drives him forward through the unbearable trials of the desert. His emotional journey takes a different path from the book. For me, it’s the unbreakable bond he shares with his family, especially his wife, which becomes his true source of strength, helping him push through the darkest moments and find the resilience to survive.

Prithviraj Sukumaran as Najeeb in ‘The Goat life’

Tell us about the symbolism behind the empty bottle of Coke amid the desert?

The Coke bottle is a symbol of hope, a detail not found in the original book. This simple object offers a small sense of comfort to the protagonist. Feeling defeated, he throws the bottle away but as it hits the sand, the wind sweeps through, creating a low, humming sound. Drawn to it, he picks the bottle back up and holds it close, reminded of Khadiri and what he values the most. This bottle, small and seemingly unimportant, becomes his quiet companion, helping him find the strength to keep going. This moment to me highlights a deeper truth: on difficult journeys, it’s not just people who support us. Sometimes, even the simplest objects can give us hope.

The plight of Najeeb shines a light on the Kafala system in West Asia which human rights groups criticise for its exploitative nature…

The story is set in the 1990s. The Kafala system is less common today. The book has reached readers across India and beyond, and I believe its impact has helped transform labour laws in the Middle East.

Curiously, the master and the slave practise the same faith…

Slavery is not tied to religion; it’s fundamentally a matter of humanity. This practice dates back to ancient times, and while traditional slavery persists in some forms, intellectual slavery is prevalent in the 21st century. Every revolution arises from this very struggle, as history shows us time and again. Humanity must prevail.