Malayalam superstar Prithviraj Sukumaran brought the tragic incident from the life of Najeeb to the screen in the survival movie Aadujeeviham, aka The Goat Life. Najeeb is an Indian worker who was left to herd goats in the worst conditions in a Middle Eastern country. The movie is based on a real-life story that has left viewers in disbelief. While the film narrates the unbelievably harsh story of Najeeb’s life, it also reveals how he escaped the dreaded situation and returned to his family.
Aadujeevitham, aka The Goat Life, recently arrived on Netflix in various languages. The survival drama’s synopsis reads, “An Indian man seeking work follows a job lead to Saudi Arabia, only to find himself forced to labor without pay as a goat herder in the remote desert.”
Much like Prithviraj Sukumaran’s movie, a list of survival dramas is below.
Manjummel Boys
Based on the incident of 2006, the Malayalam survival drama Manjummel Boys took the world by storm with its heart-touching story. While it became the highest-grossing Malayalam movie of 2024, it lived up to its hype. The film follows the story of a group of friends who visit the infamous Guna Caves in Tamil Nadu. As one of the friends falls into the caves, the incident becomes a huge testimony to true friendship. Chidambaram directed the movie, while Soubin Shahir produced it. It is currently available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar in multiple languages.
Airlift
Akshay Kumar‘s 2016 thriller survival drama Airlift depicts another inspiring story. The movie is based on Mathunny Mathews, who helped in the evacuation of 170,000 Indians from Kuwait during the 1990 Invasion of Kuwait. Much like Aadujeevitham, these Indians were trapped in Kuwait and needed a safe passage to return to India.
2018
The 2023 movie 2018 follows the heart-wrenching story of the deadly floods in Kerala. Directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, the survival drama shows how people struggled during the floods and did anything and everything to survive. Its synopsis reads, “People from all walks of life struggle against all odds to unite in the face of disaster.” It is among the biggest Malayalam blockbusters and stars Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, and Aparna Balamurali.
Mili
Janhvi Kapoor’s 2022 movie Mili turns into a survival drama when its titular character is stuck in a freezer. Directed by Mathukutty Xavier, the movie also stars Sunny Kaushal and Manoj Pahwa. “After she’s accidentally trapped in a walk-in freezer at work, a young woman fights to stay alive as her father and boyfriend launch a search for her,” reads its synopsis.
Mission Raniganj
Akshay Kumar portrayed Jaswant Singh Gill in the 2023 action thriller Mission Raniganj. The movie follows the story of Gill and how he rescued 65 trapped miners at the Raniganj coalfields. It closely covers the life of Gill and how an IIT engineer becomes a hero for the miners. Tinu Suresh Desai directed the movie, which also stars Parineeti Chopra.
The Attacks of 26/11
Director Ram Gopal Varma’s 2013 movie The Attacks of 26/11 narrates the heartbreaking story of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Nana Patekar, Atul Kulkarni, and others starred in the film based on the book Kasab: The Face of 26/11.
Malayankunju
Malayankunju is another Malayalam survival drama starring Fahadh Faasil. The movie follows the story of a casteist technician who helps a newborn baby from a lower class while getting trapped in a landslide. It is based on a true story from Kerala, in which many people lost their lives. The movie is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and has an IMDb rating of 6.9 out of 10.
Neerja
Based on the life of flight attendant Neerja, the 2016 movie is a biographical drama starring Sonam Kapoor. Ram Madhvani directed the movie and introduced everyone to the story of the brave flight attendant who gave away her life while saving others. It showcases the 1986 plane highjack case. While it is much different from Aadujeevitham, it is also a survival drama where people try to stay alive in a dreaded situation.
In conclusion, several real-life survival dramas have been made in Indian cinema. While Aadujeevitham gives everyone goosebumps, some of these stories are also as heartbreaking as they can be.
