Based on an incredible true story and on the novel by the same name, Aadujeevitham is a survival drama following the story of Najeeb who visits the Gulf for greener pastures only to be enslaved by a cruel Arab while having to tend to camels and goats. The story here is absolutely phenomenal and probably one of the greatest survival dramas that I have ever witnessed. I will even stick my neck out and say that the writing here probably matched the International standards of filmmaking wherein you can feel the angst and anxiety of the protagonist with a sense of surrender. And with the landscape that plays such an important character of suppression with no hope, the screenplay standing at close to three hours make for a painstakingly brilliant watch of the highest order wherein you are fully invested in the journey of the protagonist while being empathetic towards him right throughout the narrative. 

The drama opens with the beautiful image of the night sky being host to the milky way before cutting to its reflection in the water wherein you are introduced to a haggard looking protagonist trying to splash water on his face. The drama cuts to a timeline from the past wherein you are introduced to the protagonist and his friend who are at an airport in the Gulf while seeking for their pickup from a ‘company’ that has promised them employment. The language is a clear barrier for both of them even as they are unwittingly picked up by a ‘Kafeel’ wherein you can predict that something is amiss. This is the genius of the writing that doesn’t reveal any details of the world that the protagonist comes from or what brought him to the Arab nation. The writers do keep some cards close to their chest while only revealing them in flashes along the way(that includes a sweet little love story without distracting you from the main plot point). This, while you slowly come to terms with the protagonist been trapped in a foreign land in the form of a slave with literally nowhere to go! 

The proceedings are supremely engaging wherein you are always invested in the journey of the protagonist. This includes his initial struggle to come to terms with his situation while bitterly missing home to a certain sense of acceptance of his new life which is filled with atrocities which include restrictions on the use of water in a desert even for drinking purposes. The desert itself is a character that poses a challenge in every possible way while providing no respite with its extreme landscape. All he has is an elderly man for company(who soon disappears mysteriously) and goats and camels while having no one to talk to and also having a language barrier to deal with his ‘kafeels’. The atrocities are real and almost heartbreaking to a point that do not provide him with any hope or respite. 

I did feel that the immediate sequence post the interval was slightly rushed and convenient even as he meets his old friend after an eternity with whom he hatches a plan to escape. And even the bond that the protagonist shares with the animals wasn’t completely established. But these flaws soon evaporate in probably one of the best second halves of a film that I may have ever witnessed onscreen in terms of its scale and the atrocities that it brings with it. I was extremely critical of the film Dunki which I believe did not quite do justice to the atrocities that the characters faced then. And for all those who need a perspective, should watch Aadujeevitham for exactly that. You will understand the hardships of the landscape that the characters are subjected to, even as you feel every ounce of their pain along the journey where survival has a completely different meaning. Right from being water deprived to having no energy but continuing to walk despite their feet swollen and filled with blisters was such a painstaking watch. Yet, I was in awe of the writing that did everything to keep you engaged throughout the journey. 

The writing never really dwells in the politics of the land while solely focusing on the journey of the protagonist as he walks for months across the desert. This itself was a herculean feat that was beyond my wildest imagination even as I have been guilty of loosely using the word ‘slavery’ in my daily life. The word slavery here had a whole different meaning that was accentuated even in the final scene where there was only a streak of politics that was introduced and promptly concluded. By the end of it, I was left numb and broke while actually being grateful for the life that I am living, even as I continue to ponder on some lives walking past a desert while I am typing this review. I liked how there weren’t sentiments lacing the narrative at the end while presenting raw emotions to imbibe, in a screenplay that made for a memorable theatrical experience for me.