Director Blessy’s Malayalam survival drama Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life was released theatrically in March and on Netflix in July. However, the film, which features Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role as Najeeb, has lately courted controversy for the way it portrayed Saudi Arabians in the film.

After X (formerly Twitter) users called out Blessy for portraying their countrymen in a negative light, he released a statement condemning ‘attempts to create social unrest’. TOI however reports that matters have escalated to the point that Omani actor Talib Al Balushi, who played the film’s antagonist, has been barred from Saudi Arabia.

Blessy’s statement on Aadujeevitham

Blessy started off his statement by clarifying that Aadujeevitham is based on Benyamin’s novel of the same name published 20 years ago. He added, “The movie relentlessly tried to highlight the nobleness of human soul even in the heart of a harsh person. Najeeb’s faith in God got strengthened as the days pass by and God comes to him first in the form of Ibrahim Qadri and then in the form of the noble Arab gentleman with the Rolls Royce. I tried to give this message consistently throughout the movie and never intended to hurt the sentiments of any individual, race, or country.”

Blessy also stated that the film tried to portray the ‘compassion and empathy’ of Arab people through various characters that show Najeeb kindness. “I am the director of the movie, and the script of the movie is written by myself and the movie is produced by my own company ‘Visual Romance’ in which I am the sole owner and shareholder; and no other individual or company has any involvement, whatsoever, in the production of the movie,” he claimed, responding to false claims that the film was sponsored by the UAE.

The director also made it clear that his film was a ‘work of art’ and should be treated as such, writing, “The movie should be treated only as a work of art, and I am issuing this statement as I noticed that there are some attempts to create social unrest by misinterpreting the contents of the movie. I call upon all to abstain from any efforts to attribute anything beyond what I as the scriptwriter, director and producer of the movie ever intended to communicate.”

Omani actor Talib Al Balushi barred?

After criticisms against the portrayal of Saudis in Aadujeevitham, TOI reports that the Saudi Arabian government authorities have barred Talib from entering the country. A post by an Arab on X triggered debate over the film's portrayal of their countrymen as exploitative, apart from the harsh living conditions of Indians there. Talib portrayed a ‘cruel’ sponsor called Kafeel in the film. But Blessy told the publication that he had ‘no idea’ about the ban on Talib, claiming that they will get together for a party in Thiruvananthapuram soon.

Aadujeevitham is based on the real-life story of Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant labourer who was forced into slavery in Saudi Arabia as a goatherd on secluded farms in the deserts by the native Arabs.

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