Did you know Prithviraj used to fast for 72 hours for his role in The Goat Life?

Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran is earning rave reviews for his performance in Blessy's Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life. The survival drama tells the heartwrenching true story of a Kerala man who is stuck in the arid lands of the Saudi desert.

Prithviraj's performance as Najeeb has been hailed by critics and audiences alike, who have praised his commendable and realistic performance in the movie. However, the movie that took 10 years to make demanded a lot of effort and decision from the entire team of the movie. Recently, Prithviraj got candid about how he prepared for the role and he went to all the lengths to obtain the physical change for the movie.

In an interview with Galatta India, Prithviraj talked about his drastic physical transformation and how he fasted for 72 hours.

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“All of them jointly agreed upon the fact that there is no healthy way to do this. My whole transformation was primarily based on fasting. There were times when the fast used to be up to 72 hours long. In fact, the most dramatic part of the transformation… I don’t think you have seen in any of the footage. That shock value we have reserved for one scene in the film when you finally get to see his body after the three years he has spent in the desert,” he added.

The Salaar actor had to go through the thought process twice because the shoot of the movie was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the chat, Prithviraj said that he was against using his physical transformation as a PR strategy for the promotion of the movie.

The actor said, “Obviously when an actor goes through such a transformation, the first thought of a PR team is to do a documentary on it. I was against it, because this is not a fictional character. This is something someone really lived through and I am doing it in six months with a trainer, nutritionists, doctors and going to Austria to get expert guidance on how to lose weight.''

“But someone actually went through this (ordeal) and lost weight. So, what am I marketing my weight loss for? It just didn’t sit right. What matters to me most is that people come in large numbers and watch this epic true story,” he added.

Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life box office

Directed, written, and co-produced by Blessy, the drama is an adaptation of the Malayalam novel Aadujeevitham by Benyamin. Released on March 28, the movie has earned phenomenal numbers at the box office. In the first two days, the movie earned Rs 16 crore (Rs 160 million) in the domestic market.