Malayalam star hero Prithviraj Sukumaran’s movie “The Goat Life” is gearing up for its theatrical release on the 28th of this month, in Malayalam, along with Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada languages. The film, based on Benjamin’s novel Goat Days, is directed by award-winning director Blessy. Produced by the Visual Romance banner with a substantial budget, this movie is a prestigious project in the Malayalam film industry. The Mythri Movie Distribution Company is releasing “The Goat Life” in the Telugu States. Hero Prithviraj Sukumaran, who has had a journey of 16 years with this movie, worked diligently on this film. In a recent interview, as “The Goat Life” is set to reach the audience, Hero Prithviraj Sukumaran shared his experiences working on the movie and his career.
Director Blessy has adapted “The Goat Life” from a true story. The film chronicles the life of Najib, a man who migrated to the Gulf countries in the 90s to earn a living. The story is literally Writer Benjamin Najib’s life. Benjamin penned a book titled Goat Days, detailing the struggles he endured during his time in the Najeeb Desert. Every star hero, director-producer in the Malayalam film industry vied for the rights to this book, which garnered an incredible readership in Kerala. Our director, Blessy, secured those rights and approached me in 2008 with this project. Thus, my journey with “The Goat Life” began.
In 2018, we commenced the shooting of “The Goat Life”. Initially, I considered filming in the Rajasthan desert, but it didn’t capture the essence of the Arab country deserts. Consequently, we filmed in Jordan. After a scheduled shoot, I took a 7-month break to lose weight. The lockdown ensued while shooting was underway; all travel was halted, and we were stuck. We returned to Kerala on a Vande Bharat flight. After a year and a half, we resumed shooting in the Algerian Sahara desert. Despite numerous challenges, we completed shooting “The Goat Life” in unique locations. We adhered to world-class quality standards in post-production as well. What was supposed to be a two-year project was delayed due to COVID.
I was aware of the effort required for this film when I accepted the role. I underwent days of dieting and strived to embody Najib’s character. It was crucial that the audience could sense the story and character through my physical transformation. I adhered to a strict diet for the role, losing 31 kg, which concerned my family. However, my wife and child understood my dedication to the film and supported me. I portrayed Najeeb, imagining the hardships he must have endured in the desert. Despite the challenges, I am content with my portrayal of Najib.
The conviction that we were creating an exceptional film fueled our long journey with “The Goat Life”. We persisted with the project for 16 years, driven by the belief that we were delivering a unique movie to the audience. Najeeb is still among us, and the inspiration he provided through his life is tremendous..
I already knew that working on this film would require a significant amount of time. No actor can seize every opportunity that comes their way; some must be forsaken. While acting in this film, I had to pass on other roles that were offered to me. When you’re part of such a unique film, it necessitates foregoing other opportunities.
For “The Goat Life,” we filmed in conditions of extreme cold, heat, and strong winds. To authentically portray the desert life on screen, capturing the environment is crucial. Our film team worked exceptionally hard to achieve this.
Director Blessy and I have been eagerly awaiting the release of “The Goat Life” for a long time. This project is our dream, and I am overjoyed to see this dream becoming a reality. We encountered numerous obstacles and endured many hardships during the making of this film. Now, we are moving beyond all that and presenting ourselves to the audience. It’s vital that a film into which so much effort has been invested reaches its audience. For this reason, distribution companies have been carefully chosen across the country.
We are thrilled that Mythri Movie Company is distributing our film in Telugu. I spoke with Maitri Ravi and conveyed the importance of this film to my career. He promised a significant release. We are confident that our film will reach a broader audience through Mythri Sanstha. We have paid close attention to the Telugu version of “The Goat Life,” ensuring the quality of Telugu songs and dialogues. I have performed the dubbing in Telugu, as well as in other languages.
The audience embraced me as Rajamannar in last year’s “Salaar.” Now, in “The Goat Life,” I have portrayed a character completely different from that in “Salaar.” I believe this movie will offer the audience a new experience. Survival thrillers are bound to captivate the audience. I am eager to see how the audience reacts to my performance as Najeeb.
Regarding my career, I became an actor somewhat by accident. We often categorize movies as commercial or content-oriented. However, in my opinion, a good movie necessitates a strong script. Commercial films can also feature compelling narratives. Good actors do not let rare opportunities pass them by.