Aadujeevitham: Herd Behaviour

Star Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Amala Paul, Jimmy Jean Louis, Shobha Mohan, KR Gokul, Talib Al Balushi, Rik Aby, and Nazer Karutheni
Cinematography by Sunil KS
Edited by A Sreekar Prasad
Music Composed by AR Rahman
Directed by Blessy 

Respect towards an honest attempt can never be gazed at by an opinion. I have the utmost respect for Blessy‘s 16 years of penance to make the novel, Aadujeevitham by Benyamin, into a feature film. Please, before you like or hate this opinion/ review remember the above words.

And a BIG Spoiler Alert!!

The film’s opening sequence leaves a profound impact. As we contemplate our existence in this vast galaxy, we realize that we are mere grains of sand. We witness a human forced to live like a goat among the herd—a powerful metaphor. This kind of start to any film takes us directly into the vision of a director. Blessy, without hesitation, presents this “Goat Life” as a “visual romance,” thrusting us into the galactic turmoil that engulfs the protagonist. Where can he go? What can he do? When his entire life is being dug up step by step into this enormous ocean of sand. Our central character, well-versed in wet sand and riverbed contracts, now treads on dry, coarse terrain that scalds his legs. One type of sand enriches his lifestyle, while another enslaves him. Cunningly coerced into this servitude, his lifelong dream of prosperity abroad led him down this path, mirroring the herd mentality.

Before this dune disrupted his life, Najeeb had been a free bird in the wild. He could romance with his wife at will, savor any kind of meat or afford anything he desired. No restrictions bound him. No one forced him to sleep in a car or outside a tent on the sand. His life seemed limitless, devoid of the web of desires that would later transform into nightmares. As humans, we often succumb to herd mentality, following a single “successful” path as if life were a standardized formula. When we cook, we don’t meticulously calculate the precise amount of oil for the day; we simply decide what we want to eat and proceed. But what about a goat within the herd? Especially in a desert? While goats in mountains, forests, or green lands may enjoy a treasure trove of choices, the desert offers no such luxury. Najeeb’s life, viewed through this lens, mirrors that of a real goat. We often fail to recognize how we treat animals and cattle as our unwitting slaves. We deny a mother the right to feed her own offspring, claiming a share of the milk she produces. We keep animals within our sight, demanding their labor without concern for their well-being. And when they become useless, they become our lunch, dinner, or a grand meat buffet. But what if another human treated us the same way?

Blessy skillfully raises these questions through subtexts. As he poses them, we find ourselves aligned with his perspective. He tried to showcase how a man can slowly become a domesticated pet animal if we can instill fear and take away any sort of hope, or desire to escape the situation. A cat might turn into a tiger when pushed to fight, but a human will turn into a pet. Observe how animals instinctively form herds, uniting when they recognize a fellow being. Consider the longing for someone to aid in conquering dreams. Witness how a man’s will to live fades like a whisper in the coarse sand. You see how even trying to change his attire makes his “owner” insecure and inferior. You also see how the first revolt gives him food to eat and some respect yet the second revolt weakens him further as he gives in for his biggest enemy, hunger. You can’t escape it and you can neither learn to live without fulfilling it. The second hour tries to bring spirituality into this humane truth and this is where Blessy loses his touch. Trying to showcase a mystic hand leading our main protagonist to a perfect escape path, he tried to infuse too many elements like one dune after another. Instead of scaling them all and crossing the desert like “Moses,” we wonder how much more “visual poetry” awaits us. Just as one cannot simultaneously devour twenty dessert varieties in equal measure, this “visual poetry” laced with spirituality also ended up being the same.

He attempted to incorporate psychological concepts such as “Agoraphobia”—a fear of leaving one’s familiar environment, akin to how we cling to our “home.” “Stockholm Syndrome” – we see this in our pets too, Eco-anxiety, Desert Hallucinations and Deteriorating Mental Strength. However, if one of these themes had been more deeply explored, the film’s second hour could have achieved greater focus. It is not that important to showcase the same in repeats as it tends to make us repetitive orator rather than a storyteller. A storyteller thrives on engagement, not perfection—a listener glued to each word, not one wondering when the next scene unfolds. As the plot unfolds, the spotlight shifts to a new character, leaving the main protagonists struggling to meet the plot’s demands. No, I am not saying crossing a desert is simple and it should not be treated with the same passion and care. But the kind of detailed repetitive approach derails the journey, plunging us from the dune’s lofty heights into a vast expanse of sand.

Prithviraj Sukumaran believed in the character and the director’s vision, giving his all. His Mechanist kind of body transformation, trembling voice, and lifeless eyes are pitch-perfect. However, the other performances didn’t leave as strong an impression in comparison. At times, the film’s approach strives for perfection down to the last atom, while at other moments, it feels assembled from whatever was available. Such inconsistencies are common in any film, but “Life of Pi,” a similar-themed movie, maintains its impact throughout. Yes, the ocean holds a thousand surprises, whereas the desert remains relentlessly harsh. AR Rahman’s music, sound design, and production all align with the director’s vision. Yet, like a pet parrot unable to survive in the wild, the film loses its way. Blessy loved and lived with this subject so much that he did not understand how to be a wild parrot when it is required and not repeat anything and when to be a domesticated parrot that tends to repeat everything. This made the film snaggy and the obvious conclusion felt more like a film reaching its end. But not like a man whose biography lost all chapters due to one “disappearing” chapter.

Theatrical Trailer:

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