Aadujeevitham trailer: Dulquer, other celebs laud Prithviraj-starrer, call it ‘a real labour of love’, ‘masterpiece’

After almost four years of wait, the makers of Prithviraj Sukumaran’s survival drama Aadujeevitham released the first trailer from the Blessy directorial on Friday. The movie, which is based on Benyamin’s eponymous book, had gone on floors in 2018 and is now finally set for release this year.

The trailer, which Prithviraj informed through his social media post, was cut for the festival circuit where the movie is expected to premiere, before it hits theatres later this year. Soon after the film’s trailer was released online, several Malayalam celebrities lauded Prithviraj and Blessy for the movie, which has had to face multiple hurdles the past five years including the worldwide lockdown.

Also read: Exclusive! Prithviraj on Aadujeevitham: It’s tough for me, and given a choice I wouldn’t do it again 

Dulquer Salmaan, who became closer to Prithviraj post the pandemic after the latter and his team were stuck in Jordan during the filming of Aadujeevitham in April 2020, commented, “So looking forward to this! A real labour of love.”

In an earlier interview with OTTplay, Prithviraj, who had to endure multiple periods of waiting – not knowing when the shoot of Aadujeevitham would resume due to the pandemic and ensuing restrictions, told us, “Because of the size of this and what has happened across the world over the past couple of years, we are in this scenario. And it’s actually very tough for me – physically and mentally. Given a choice, I wouldn’t do it again.”

Also read: Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Aadujeevitham gets a release date? Here’s when the Blessy directorial will hit theatres 

The actor had to lose several kilos to play the part of Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant labourer who is forced into slavery in a Saudi Arabian goat farm, and maintain that physique for most parts, till the shoot resumed.

The feedback of the trailer, especially from various other celebs, should be heartening for the team of the film that also has Hollywood actor Jimmy Jean-Louis and Amala Paul.

While Ponniyin Selvan actress Aishwarya Lekshmi commented “How beautiful is this'', Angamaly Diaries star Antony Varghese wrote, “I hope this film brings an Oscar award to Malayalam cinema.” Antony’s Jallikattu was the previous Malayalam movie to be selected as India’s pick for Oscars a few years ago.

Also read: Aadujeevitham: Prithviraj Sukumaran reveals release plans of Blessy's film, hopes for Cannes 2023 premiere 

Both Indrajith Sukumaran and Prarthana Indrajith also hailed the film’s trailer with the latter calling it a “masterpiece”. “This is exactly how I imagined the book to be,” she wrote. Choreographer-director Brinda Gopal, Jana Gana Mana filmmaker Dijo Jose Antony, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Isha Talwar were the other celebs to laud the work that has gone into making the movie, which is scripted by Blessy and has music composed by AR Rahman.

Talking to Deadline, Blessy, who had shot the movie in India, Algeria and Jordan, said what urged him to the past nine years to make the movie wasn’t the predicament of a man who had dreamt of a better life. “(The story) was in the strength of the human spirit that I saw, to survive all odds, and to somehow get back to what Najeeb held sacred through his tortured, addled mind,” he said.