PremiumAadujeevitham actor Prithviraj Sukumaran opens up about playing Najeeb - ‘The character is so complex...’
Aadujeevitham actor Prithviraj Sukumaran extensively spoke about getting into the skin of his character Najeeb in the Blessy directorial, in a recently held press meet event.
Last Updated: 09.17 PM, Mar 16, 2024
Prithviraj Sukumaran is now busy promoting his ambitious project, Aadujeevitham. The highly anticipated project, which is helmed by the senior filmmaker Blessy, is gearing up for a grand theatrical release on March 28, 2024. The project, which started rolling in 2018, is finally hitting the theatres after multiple delays. In the recent press meet held in Mumbai, Prithviraj Sukumaran extensively spoke about getting into the skin of his character in Aadujeevitham and made some interesting revelations.
Aadujeevitham actor Prithviraj opens up about playing the complex character
According to Prithviraj Sukumaran, the film Blessy has made is the ‘encapsulated’ version of Benyamin’s book Aadujeevitham, which is the real-life story of a Malayali man named Najeeb Muhammed. The book itself is an encapsulated version of the life that man lived, and the movie is based on that literature work. The literature on print has the liberty of micro-detailing, where the writer can detail every moment of a character’s journey. But it is impossible to do the same while making the film.
Director Blessy clarified to Prithviraj Sukumaran that he is trying to make the audience feel what the filmmaker imagined about Najeeb’s life. And it was followed even while designing the character arc. The leading man realised that the character is so complex, and the arc has so many crests and troughs, right at the beginning. So, he couldn't look at it as one giant character arc.
Also Read: Aadujeevitham first review – Real-life Najeeb praises Prithviraj Sukumaran, Blessy’s survival drama
Aadujeevitham narrative has three parts
Interestingly, Prithviraj Sukumaran further added that he and Blessy decided to break down Aadujeevitham’s narrative into three parts. However, Najeeb’s past in Kerala is not a part of these three main parts of his character arc, as it is introduced to audiences in little segments of flashbacks throughout the narrative. Phase 1 of the narrative is where Najeeb lands in the desert, realizes that he is stuck, and tries to find a way out. The performance is metered in a way that meets the mindset of the character.
In the second phase, the film narrates a phase of Najeeb’s life where he is a little thinner and weaker, and expressing his anger – on himself, circumstances, and God. Later, the narrative enters into its third part, which is set three years later. Najeeb is then a changed man – he is more of an animal, than a man, who has come to terms with the circumstances. In that phase, Prithviraj’s performance is designed in a way to meet the spiritual realizations his character goes through.
Well, Prithviraj Sukumaran’s description of Najeeb Muhammed – the character and the way he played it, clearly hints that Aadujeevitham is indeed a never-seen-before cinematic experience for Malayalam audiences. According to the reports, the actor has delivered the finest performance of his acting career so far, in the Blessy directorial.