Malayalam News

Prithviraj Starrer ‘Aadujeevitham’ Wraps Up Jordan Schedule; Team To Head Back To Kerala Soon

By Aparajitha Balu

The makers of actor Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer Aadujeevitham have wrapped up the film’s Jordan schedule, on Sunday amidst the global coronavirus-induced lockdown. The film’s shoot commenced at the beginning of March.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

In the wake of the pandemic, all release, production, and post-production activities of various film industries worldwide had come to a standstill since mid-March. Only recently, Hollywood was allowed to resume indoor shooting and both, the Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments allowed the resumption of only post-production activities. But team Aadujeevitham got the nod from the Indian embassy at Jordan, for production, way back because they had undertaken all safety measures and were in proper isolation in the Wadi Rum desert.

The news of the  came from a tweet by Prithviraj on his Twitter handle.

On April 1, Prithviraj posted a tweet saying he was stuck in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan along with the film’s crew. After a temporary halt on March 24, they were not allowed to shoot for the film after March 27.

As situation worsened, the permission to shoot was revoked and the team was asked to return to India at the earliest. But owing to the lockdown imposed in India, it was not possible for the crew to return. Though the crew had everything, including food and accommodation, sorted out till the second week of April, they weren’t prepared for the weeks beyond.

“We completely understand that given the circumstances around the world, our team of 58 might not be the biggest concern of authorities back home now, and rightfully so. But we also felt that it was our duty to let all concerned know about the situation and keep them updated. There are thousands of Indians around the world waiting to get back home and we hope when the appropriate time and opportunity arrives, we are also able to come back to India. Till then, I hope all of you stay safe and let’s collectively hope and pray that life gets back to normal soon. Cheers,” said the actor in his tweet.

The 58-member team also comprised a doctor who was conducting check-ups on the crew every 72 hours along with a government-appointed Jordanian doctor.

The director of the film, Blessy, had also sought help from the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce to bring the crew back to Kerala through an email. He had requested them to enable the crew to be able to get back to India before the visas of the members expire. But unfortunately, the Cultural Minister of Kerala, A K Balan could only renew their visas and not facilitate the process of bringing them back.

A recent report on Onmanorama read that the crew is now awaiting the approval of the Civil Aviation Ministry to travel back since the schedule has been wrapped up.

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Aadujeevitham is helmed by Blessy, a former associate of director Lohithadas. Bankrolled by KG Abraham, the film will release in 3D this year. The film is based on Benyamin’s best-selling book of the same name that talks about the plight of a Malayali who goes in search of a job to the Gulf. It was translated to English as Goat Days by Joseph Koyippally. It is noteworthy that Benyamin’s other book Jasmine Days (translated to English by Shahnaz Habib) won the inaugural JCB Prize. Dubbed the richest literary prize in India, it carries a purse of Rs. 25 lakhs.

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Prithviraj is believed to be sporting two looks in Adujeevitham. While one look demands a fairly built physique, the other requires him to shed weight. This is the reason the movie’s shoot, which began in March 2018, was spread across two years.

While Amala Paul plays the female lead, marking her first association with Prithviraj, actors Vineeth Srinivasan and Aparna Balamurali have landed significant roles in the film.

AR Rahman is composing for the film, marking the maestro’s comeback to Malayalam after a gap of 28 years. He last composed in Malayalam for the Mohanlal starrer Yodha in 1992. KU Mohanan is handling cinematography, Sreekar Prasad is editing and Resul Pookutty is designing sound.

Aparajitha Balu is a Alum at Silverscreen India, and can be reached by email at aparajitha@silverscreen.in