Did Prithviraj Sukumaran's Aadujeevitham fail financially despite its massive earnings? Director Blessy breaks silence

Here’s what filmmaker Blessy has to say about the box office performance of Prithviraj Sukumaran Aadujeevitham.

By Anjali Choudhury

Published on Feb 20, 2025 | 09:57 AM IST | 33.9K

Was Prithviraj's Aadujeevitham success? Director Blessy breaks silence on financial crisis

Aadujeevitham, also known as The Goat Life, is a survival drama starring Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role. Directed by Blessy, the film became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam movies of 2024 and received praise for its storyline and performances. However, in a recent interview, the filmmaker revealed that despite its box office success, the movie was not a profitable venture for him.

Director Blessy revealed that Aadujeevitham did not bring him any profit, even though it performed well at the box office. The film had a strong run, but its high production costs affected its financial outcome. He explained that the heavy investment in the budget left him without any gains.

Aadujeevitham is based on Benyamin’s 2008 novel, inspired by the true story of Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant laborer in the Gulf. The film features Prithviraj Sukumaran, along with Jimmy Jean-Louis, Rik Aby, Amala Paul, K. R. Gokul, Talib Al Balushi, and Shobha Mohan. While it was initially banned in most GCC countries except the UAE, the ban was later lifted everywhere except Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Blessy secured the adaptation rights in 2009 but faced delays due to budget challenges. The project gained momentum in 2015, and A. R. Rahman composed the music. Filming happened in phases from 2018 to 2022, across Jordan, Kerala and Algeria. The crew was stuck in Jordan for 70 days during the pandemic before returning home through the Vande Bharat Mission.

Released on March 28, 2024, the film received positive reviews for its performances by the actors and technical quality. It earned over Rs 100 crore, becoming the third highest-grossing Malayalam film and one of the top Indian films of 2024.

Blessy’s also Aadujeevitham dominated the Kerala State Film Awards 2024, winning nine awards, including Best Actor, Best Popular Film and Best Director.

Disclaimer: The box office figures are compiled from various sources and our research. The figures can be approximate, and Pinkvilla does not make any claims about the authenticity of the data. However, they are adequately indicative of the box-office performance of the films in question.