Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran and the 57-member crew of film Aadujeevitham, will return to India on May 22. After being stranded in Jordan for about two months in the wake of the pandemic, the team will be brought back on a special Air India flight, Manorama reported.
According to reports, the team will arrive in Delhi and will then to travel to Kochi and subsequently be quarantined.
Director Blessy and the team were shooting in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert when the pandemic struck, forcing a global lockdown. Prithviraj took to Twitter on Sunday to announce that the shoot of his upcoming film Aadujeevitham has been completed. Their permission to shoot in the desert was revoked in March due to the pandemic. However, the team could not travel back to India. With the lockdown continuing, the team had re-started the shoot.
In an elaborate Facebook post in April, Prithviraj shared his experience and concerns about being stranded in Jordan. He added that since the initial plan was to shoot till second week of April, their food and other supplies will last for the immediate future. But what will happen after that timeline is a matter of concern, the actor added.
Prithviraj revealed that there is a doctor in the team, and that their health is being regularly monitored. “We have a doctor in our team who’s carrying out medical check ups for each member of the crew every 72 hours, and we are also subjected to periodic check ups by a govt appointed Jordanian doctor,” he wrote.
He further added: “We completely understand that given the circumstances around the world, our team of 58 might not be the biggest concern of authorities back home now, and rightfully so. But we also felt that it was our duty to let all concerned knows about the situation and keep them updated. There are thousands of Indians around the world waiting to get back home and we hope when the appropriate time and opportunity arrives, we are also able to come back to India. Till then, I hope all of you stay safe and let’s collectively hope and pray that life gets back to normal soon.”
The crew had also requested help from the Indian government to return home from Jordan.
Aadujeevitham is based on Malayalam author Benyamin’s book by the same name.
