'Maryan', the Dhanush-starrer made headlines recently, a decade after it hit theatres in 2013. The reason? A section of netizens claimed the film was the source of inspiration for the Prithviraj-starrer 'Aadujeevitham', that is now running successfully in theatres.
Though the argument does not hold water since 'Maryan' director Bharat Bala himself claimed his film was inspired by Benyamin's novel 'Aadujeevitham' and a real-life incident, which took place in Sudan, we retrospect why both films were subject to the comparisons.
Migration
In 'Aadujeevitham', Najeeb leaves for the Gulf in hopes of providing a better life for his family. Maryan too explores migration and the protagonist leaves his homeland and secures a job in Sudan to fulfill his responsibilities to his loved one. While Najeeb is treated as a slave by his Arab owner and is forced to look after goats in the middle of the desert, Maryan is captured by Sudanese terrorists and held captive without food and water for 21 days.
Both are men from coastal village
Najeeb lived in a coastal village and would mine sand from the river banks at Arattupuzha in Haripad. Though he would catch a cold often, he was in love with the water. Maryan was a fisherman from Neerody in Kanyakumari. He often described himself as a Kadal Raasa (King of the Sea) and would often spent his time underwater.
The escape scene
The comparisons began after the makers of 'Aadujeevitham' released the film's trailer. Majority of the portions in 'Aadujeevitham' revolved around Najeeb's escape from his Arab owner. The perilous journey through the desert, his encounter with the snakes and his escape with another Malayali forms the crux of Blessy's directorial. In 'Maryan', Dhanush and his friend too escapes from the Sudanese terrorists and is forced to navigate the vastness of the desert to survive.