Malayalam film director Blessy’s ‘The Goat Life’ has been generating significant buzz since its announcement, and with its release all set to take place on April 10, excitement levels have peaked.
‘The Goat Life’ is based on the novel ‘Aadujeevitham’, one of the most popular best sellers from the Malayalam literary world, which has been translated into 12 different languages, including foreign ones.
It’s penned by noted writer Benyamin and the two got together at the ongoing Kerala Literature Festival 2024 at Kozhikode and had an enlightening discussion which was received with huge applause by the audience.
In it, the two leading lights contributed their expertise with a special video of a behind-the-scenes glimpse of author Benyamin and director Blessy discussing adapting books into films.
Offering valuable perspectives on shooting techniques, film direction, and the art of transforming literature on screen, their presence at the festival further emphasised the deep connection between the novel ‘Aadujeevitham’ and the upcoming film, ‘The Goat Life’.
Speaking about the challenges faced while adapting ‘The Goat Life’ from a novel to the big screen, director, Blessy said, “Our greatest hurdle lay in meeting audience expectations and surpassing their imaginative interpretations, given the familiarity of the novel. Each film is inevitably influenced by our individual references, and my works consistently explore human emotions that resonate universally, drawing from personal encounters, stories heard, or our own experiences.”
The film tells the true story of the life of a young man Najeeb, who in the early 90s migrates from the lush green shores of Kerala to search for the fortunes in a land abroad.
Najeeb is played Malayalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran.
“Crafting Najib’s character presented a unique challenge, as neither I nor Prithviraj had any predefined guidance for his portrayal,” added Blessy.
Adding to this, Benyamin said, “It is a film which has no references to look into”.
Hollywood actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, Amala Paul, Indian actor K. R. Gokul, and renowned Arab actors Talib al Balushi and RikAby are playing pivotal roles.
The Goat Life is all set to release on April 10 in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.
Sixty-year-old Blessy has won one National Film Award and six Kerala State Film Awards for his feature films ‘Kaazhcha’ (2004), ‘Thanmathra’ (2005), and ‘Pranayam’ (2011).
His documentary film ‘100 Years of Chrysostom’ received the Guinness World Record for the longest documentary in the world, with a runtime of 48 hours and 10 minutes.