Sometimes the character portrayal leaves a long lasting impact and you associate that name with the actor. Sethumadhavan was one such role which lingered around for a long time, here its Najeeb Muhammed for Prithiviraj. Blessy brought the best out of him and its a terrific soulful act that will be remembered for a long time. The body language, the transformation and dialog delivery were pitch perfect. That face and psychological trauma he endured can haunt you for days.
The film based on an award winning book, recounts the real-life experience of a man and how his gulf dream were razed to dust. The livestock life in the desert is one heck of a experience. Hunger and thirst forces him to accept the slavery and from there on what we see is a story of struggle, resilience and above all hope. Its interesting to see how he forms a deep kinship with goats. The film is loaded with garland of emotions and some of them will tug your heart strings. The editing is magical (interception of Kerala and the desert), cinematography is eye whopping (that's a theater only experience) and the BGM from ARR is astounding and inseparable from the characters emotional journey.
The second half is brutal and we are hit with horrid imagery and to be honest its tough to sit through. The misery of human beings can be endurance test for the audience also. I felt there are many over dramatized scenes and thanks to ARR magical BGM things were kept under check. There are few things in the novels which was not depicted in the movie for right reasons i would say. I never felt uneasiness while reading book, may be it's the visuals that amplified the impact.
There is a saying in Hindi - Bhagwan Ke Ghar Der Hai, Par Andher Nahi. That stayed true in all essence for Najeeb Muhammed.
Verdict - 3.5/5(Cast Away)