Actor Prithviraj, film crew stranded in Jordan brought back to Kochi

KOCHI: After days of uncertainty, the 58-member Malayalam film crew, including actor Prithviraj and director Blessy, who were stranded in Jordan during the shooting of a movie returned to Kochi on Friday.

The crew landed in New Delhi from where they flown to Kochi in a special Air India flight. All the crew members have been sent to quarantine after completing mandatory health screening at the airport. It is learnt that Prithviraj moved to a hotel in Kochi where he will remain in isolation.

The film crew of movie ‘Aadu jeevitham’ (goat days) left for Jordan in March. The shooting began on March 16 but had to be abruptly stopped following curfew imposed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Though the crew members and various film organisations sought the support of Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan and Indian embassy authorities to return to Kerala, their travel could not be facilitated due to suspension of flight service during national lockdown.

Later, shooting was resumed with the special permission of Jordanian government and completed in May. Now, after completing the shoot schedule in a desert in Jordan the team has been brought back in special flight.

Prithviraj in an earlier social media post said that the crew was staying in an isolated shelter in Wadi Rum desert and a doctor in the team was carrying out regular medical-checkups for all members regularly. A Jordan government-appointed doctor also was doing periodic check up, he said in social media post.  

The film based on the Malayalam author Benyamin’s book by the same name is being directed by noted director Blessy.