Mera Naam Joker
| Mera Naam Joker | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Raj Kapoor |
| Screenplay by | K. A. Abbas; Manoj Kumar (Part-1) |
| Story by | K. A. Abbas |
| Produced by | Raj Kapoor |
| Starring | Raj Kapoor Simi Garewal Manoj Kumar Rishi Kapoor Dharmendra Dara Singh Kseniya Ryabinkina Padmini Rajendra Kumar |
| Cinematography | Radhu Karmakar |
| Edited by | Raj Kapoor |
| Music by | Shankar Jaikishan |
| Distributed by | R. K. Films |
Release date | December 18, 1970 |
Running time | 255 mins |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Mera Naam Joker (translation: My Name is Joker) is a 1970 Hindi film directed by Raj Kapoor. The screenplay was written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. This film was the debut of Rishi Kapoor. Mera Naam Joker is a film about a clown who must make his audience laugh at the cost of his own sorrows.
Plot
Mera Naam Joker is the story of Raju, whose father was considered the best circus clown ever. Ever since he died in an accident during his performance, Raju's mother had always been repulsed by the circus. As luck would have it, Raju had a natural affinity towards the circus world. The film traces Raju's journey from his childhood to the day of his last performance.
Mera Naam Joker is divided into 3 chapters. The first chapter is about the adolescent Raju and deals with his infatuation with his teacher Mary (Simi Garewal). She gives him confidence in himself, and he discovers the world of femininity and desire. But of course she's older than him, and he attends her wedding in a state of false merriment. Mary's lessons nevertheless aren't lost: Raju comes to realise that he was born to make the world laugh, even through his own troubles.
After his first heartbreak, the story moves on to the adult Raju who has found work with Gemini Circus as a clown. His dream materialises! The circus is owned by Mahendra Singh (Dharmendra) who has understood Raju's potential and gives him the job. The circus hosts a visiting group of artists from Russia, and he falls in love with Marina (Kseniya Ryabinkina), the lead trapezist. Despite the language barrier they come close, and Raju half hopes that they might live together. But he faces heartbreak once again when the circus ends and Marina returns to Russia. It is in this chapter that Raju's mother dies during Raju's performance, watching her son perform the very stunts which caused his father's death.
In the final chapter, Raju has left the circus and wanders around aimlessly. One day he meets Meena (Padmini), a orphaned girl who has ambitions of becoming a famous actress. Meena and him set up an association, start a small circus business and later on move on to the theatre. They are quite successful, but their collaboration ends when she is offered a role in a film. She leaves him, and he realises she has used him in her lust for success.
Raju always carries a clown doll which belonged to his father. Every time he fell in love, he gifted his beloved doll, only to see it come back to him. The doll is used as a metaphor for Raju's simplistic heart where there is room for everyone.
Cast
- Raj Kapoor – Raju (The Joker)
- Manoj Kumar – David
- Simi Garewal – Mary
- Rishi Kapoor – Young Raju
- Dharmendra – Mahendra
- Dara Singh – Sher Singh
- Kseniya Ryabinkina – Marina
- Padmini – Meena
- Rajendra Kumar – Himself
- Achala Sachdev – Raju's Mother
- Eduard Sjereda – Member of the Soviet State Circus
Soundtrack
| # | Title | Singer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ang Lag Ja Balma" | Asha Bhosle |
| 2 | "Kaate Na Kaate Raina" | Manna Dey, Asha Bhosle |
| 3 | "Teetar Ke Do Aage Teetar" | Mukesh, Asha Bhosle, Simi |
| 4 | "Jane Kahan Gaye Woh Din" | Mukesh |
| 5 | "Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan" | Mukesh |
| 6 | "Ae Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo" | Manna Dey |
| 7 | "Daagh Na Lag Jaye" | Mukesh, Asha Bhosle |
| 8 | "Kehta Hai Joker Sara Zamana" | Mukesh |
| 9 | "Sadke Heer Tujh Pe" | Mohammed Rafi |
Reaction
Six years in the making, with Raj Kapoor investing much of his own personal fortune, Mera Naam Joker flopped at the box office.[1] In later years, however, the film has garnered critical praise. [citation needed]
Running times
Many different cuts of the film are known to exist. Both the IMDb and the movie's censor certificate list the film's length as being 6989.50 metres (255 minutes). According to the Chicago Reader, the original running time was 5 hours.[2] The international DVD release from Yash Raj Films Home Entertainment runs for 233 minutes (224 with the disc's PAL speed-up), while the Indian DVD by Shemaroo Entertainment is heavily cut at 184 minutes. Mera Naam Joker is the second Hindi film to have two intervals, the first one is Sangam (1964). [3]
Trivia
The 1st part of the film (the Rishi Kapoor-Simi Garewal story) was written by Manoj Kumar. Although he has not been credited as one of the writers, this fact was acknowledged by Raj Kapoor & recently by Manoj Kumar on the show "Total Recall" on Headlines Today.
Awards
- Filmfare Best Music Director Award – Shankar Jaikishan
- Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award – Radhu Karmakar
- Filmfare Best Male Playback Award – Manna Dey for the song "Ae Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo"
- Filmfare Best Director Award – Raj Kapoor
- Filmfare Best Sound Recordist – Allauddin Khan Qureshi
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