There is an attempt to create social unrest: Filmmaker Blessy on ‘Aadujeevitham’
Director Blessy clarified that ‘Aadujeevitham’ is purely artistic and is not intended to incite social unrest. The film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role.
Blessy, the director-producer of Prithviraj Sukumaran’s ‘Aadujeevitham’, released a statement on X, saying that his film should be treated only as a work of art and nothing else. The filmmaker mentioned that “some attempts are being made to create social unrest by misinterpreting the content of the film”. However, he never intended to communicate anything like that through his work.
Prithviraj Sukumaran’s ‘Aadujeevitham’ won nine Kerala State Film Awards. On August 24, Blessy shared a note, which read: “The film Got Life (‘Aadujeevitham’) is a cinematic adaptation of the best-selling Malayalam novel by Benjamin published twenty years ago and translated into several languages over the years.”
It further added, “The film has tirelessly tried to highlight the greatness of the human spirit even in the heart of a hardened man. As the days pass, Najeeb’s faith in God grows stronger and God comes to him first in the form of Ibrahim Qadri and then in the form of the noble Arab gentleman with a Rolls Royce. I have tried to convey this message consistently throughout the film and never intended to hurt the sentiments of any person, race or country.”
The note further states, “The film has carefully tried to portray the compassion and sympathy of the Arab people through the character of a kind gentleman who (without whom Najib would have died on the street) rescues Najib, takes him in his expensive and faultless Rolls Royce, gives him water and encourages him to sleep and takes him to a place where Najib can get help. The staff at the restaurant, the people at the detention centre and the Arbab out-pass check post are all portrayed as the epitome of kindness, compassion and sympathy.”
He also said, “I am the director of the film, and have written the script myself and the film has been produced by my own company ‘Visual Romance’, in which I am the sole owner and shareholder; and no other person or company has any involvement in the production of the film.”
The note concluded, “The film should be viewed only as a work of art, and I am issuing this statement because I have noticed some attempts to create social unrest by misinterpreting the subject matter of the film. I urge everyone to refrain from any attempt to attribute anything beyond the stated purpose of me as the screenwriter, director and producer of the film.”
‘Aadujeevitham’ did well in theatres. The film is now streaming on Netflix.