Prithviraj and Blessy share their Covid experiences while shooting ‘Aadujeevitham’

The BTS video also shows how individuals from diverse cultures and nationalities navigated life in the desert during the pandemic by engaging in activities, celebrating festivals, and supporting each other through what could have been their most isolating and distressing period.

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Prithviraj’s transformation

In the BTS video, Prithviraj Sukumaran spoke about his remarkable transformation. He had shed several kilos to fit into the role of Najeeb, the protagonist of Aadujeevitham.

“The biggest pressure Blessy sir faced was my eight-month transformation. We had to capitalise on it; my physical transformation could not be wasted. That was our foremost concern. Before travelling to Jordan in the final two weeks of filming, I was at the Vivamayr facility in Austria. Then suddenly, Covid-19 was declared a pandemic and travel restrictions were imposed,” Prithviraj recalled.

“Blessy sir told me that when we plan to shoot the portion, my entire transformation will have to be redone. And my response was, ‘Blessy sir, do we have another choice? We had invested everything in this movie. Then I had to see it through’,” the actor added.

Prithviraj also revealed that the crew was lucky to have unlimited food and accommodation in the desert camp.

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Challenging days: Blessy

Filmmaker Blessy shared his experience of getting stranded in the desert with the film crew during the unprecedented pandemic.

“We visited the desert with dreams, but our excitement turned into fear upon learning about the world being hit by COVID-19. For some 60-odd days, we were isolated in this desert,” he said.

“9 March 2020 was the day we landed in Jordan to shoot our second schedule. From there on, every single day was challenging for us. The courage to stand together during tough times is what this movie taught every member of our group. And that is the most special thing,” Blessy recalled.

Produced by Visual Romance, Aadujeevitham also stars Hollywood actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, Indian actors Amala Paul and KR Gokul, and renowned Arab actors Talib al Balushi and Rik Aby in significant roles.

Its music is composed by AR Rahman. Resul Pookutty is the sound designer.

Sunil KS is the cinematographer. A Sreekar Prasad is the editor.

Shot in multiple countries, the film claimed to be a groundbreaking venture in the Malayalam film industry by setting new standards in production, storytelling, and acting.