The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ken Scott |
Written by |
|
Based on | The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe by Romain Puertolas |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Vincent Mathias AFC |
Edited by | Yvann Thibaudeau |
Music by | Nicolas Errèra Amit Trivedi |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
Countries |
|
Language | English |
Budget | $20 million [2] |
Box office | $3.26 million [3] |
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is a 2018 adventure comedy film directed by Ken Scott and written by Scott, Romain Puertolas, and Luc Bossi. It is based on the French novel The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe by Puertolas. The film stars Dhanush in the lead role, with Bérénice Bejo, Erin Moriarty, Barkhad Abdi, Gérard Jugnot, and Ben Miller as the supporting cast. The premise follows a street magician from Mumbai who embarks on a global journey to find his father. The film was shot in India, Belgium, France and Italy. [4]
The film released in France on 30 May 2018 [5] and in India, USA, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia on 21 June 2019. It was released in 8 different languages; English, French, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Italian and Kannada. [1] [6]
Ajatashatru "Aja" Lavash Patel, who has lived all his life in a small Mumbai neighborhood, is a street magician and trickster who tricks people into believing that he possesses special magic powers. He narrates his story to three kids caught by police and are now going for a four year judicial custody.
After his mother's untimely death, he sets off on a journey to find his estranged father in Paris with a fake EUR 100 note. There, he meets a woman named Marie Riviere in a furniture store whom he initially swindles, but is quickly attracted to her personality. Aja then experiences a series of wide-ranging adventures around the world, initially in an IKEA wardrobe to London, England, then a Louis Vuitton suitcase to Rome, Italy, and a hot air balloon to a ship heading to Tripoli, Libya. In the ship, he gets robbed the money he earned by selling the shirt on which he wrote an emotional incident from his childhood. In Libya, he meets a Somali man named Wiraj, an illegal immigrant whom he met on the way to London. Together with Wiraj and group of other friends he gets back the money. In the refugee camp where Wiraj lives, he distributes all the money to the people in the camp. He has just enough money for a fake passport and ticket to India. But before going to India he goes to Paris where he meets Marie, who is now dating another guy.
He comes back to India and starts working as a teacher in school. One day Marie comes to the school and tells Aja that she has left her fiance, and then they kiss. And with this he ends his story to the three kids. He then offers those kids to be pardoned for the four year custody if they attend Aja's school daily, which they agree to.
Just before the movie ends, one of Aja's colleagues asks "Was that a true story?" and Aja replies "Yes, all of the important bits."
The film was launched in January 2016 with Iranian director Marjane Satrapi and actors Dhanush, Uma Thurman, and Alexandra Daddario in the lead roles. [7] However, the director left the project and was replaced by Canadian director Ken Scott. Thurman's role was given to French actress Bérénice Bejo. [8] The filming began in May 2017 in Mumbai. In its first schedule the principal photography took place in India, Brussels, Paris and Rome. [4]
The film trailer for Australia was launched in August 2018 by Icon Films Australia & New Zealand on YouTube. [9] For release in India the official trailer was launched on 3 June 2019 by Zee Music Company. It fetched more than 5 million views since its release on YouTube. [10]
The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir released on 30 May 2018 in France. [5] The film was released in India, USA, Canada, UK, Singapore and Malaysia on 21 June 2019. [1] The film was also dubbed in Tamil as Pakkiri benefiting off Dhanush's popularity. [11] The makers had previously considered the title Vaazhkaiyai Thedi Naanum Poren for the dubbed version. [12] [13] The film was made available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Soundtrack album by | ||||
Recorded | 2019 | |||
Studio | A T Studios | |||
Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
Length | 11:25 | |||
Language | Hindi | |||
Label | Zee Music Company | |||
Producer | Amit Trivedi | |||
Amit Trivedi chronology | ||||
|
The score is composed by Nicolas Errera
The music of the songs is composed by Amit Trivedi, with lyrics by Anvita Dutt. The chorus singers are Rajiv Sundaresan and Suhas Sawant in the song "Madaari". The Zee Music Company holds the right. [14]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Angrezi Luv Shuv" | Anvita Dutt | Amit Trivedi, Jonita Gandhi | 3:39 |
2. | "Madaari" | Anvita Dutt | Vishal Dadlani, Nikhita Gandhi | 3:59 |
3. | "Maila Maila" | Anvita Dutt | Mame Khan, R Venkatraman | 3:37 |
Total length: | 11:25 |
All lyrics are written by Madhan Karky
No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Maayabazaaru" | Nikhita Gandhi, Benny Dayal | 2:53 |
2. | "Saalakaara" | Anthony Daasan | 2:45 |
3. | "Engleesu Lovesu" | Dhanush, Jonita Gandhi | 2:32 |
Total length: | 07:30 |
The film won two international awards: in 2018 it won in Norwegian International Film Festival the Ray of Sunshine Award [16] and in 2019 in Barcelona Sant-Jordi International Film Festival, it won an award for Best Comedy. [17]
Year | Award | Category | Outcome | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Norwegian International Film Festival | Ray of Sunshine Award | Won | [16] |
2019 | Barcelona Sant-Jordi International Film Festival | Best Comedy | Won | [17] |
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 60% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The critics consensus reads, "The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is undermined by its mawkish indulgences, but Dhanush's charming central performance is difficult to resist." [18] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 8 critics. [19]
The New York Times stated that the film is "a bustling, whimsical voyage.” [20]
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir fared poorly at the box office, grossing $3.26 million against a $20 million budget. [3] This movie was a box office bomb. [13]
Selvaraghavan is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor who has directed and acted predominantly Tamil films and few Telugu films. He had his directorial debut with Thulluvadho Ilamai (2002). Still, his father is credited for business reasons, which stars his brother Dhanush, Selvaraghavan went on to make a series of romantic drama films with Kadhal Kondein (2003) and 7G Rainbow Colony (2004) before also venturing into coming-of-age films Pudhupettai (2006) and Mayakkam Enna (2011), both starring Dhanush. He has also ventured into making science fiction and fantasy films, such as depicting a fantasy Chola kingdom in Aayirathil Oruvan (2010) and a parallel universe in Irandam Ulagam (2013). He has been critically acclaimed for his directorial skills.
Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja, known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, lyricist and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. Having starred in 50 films over his career, his accolades include four National Film Awards, fourteen SIIMA Awards, eight Filmfare Awards South and a Filmfare Award. One of the highest paid actors in Indian cinema, he has been included in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list six times.
Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is known for his unique filmography with major commercial success and high critical acclaim works. He has won five National Film Awards, three Filmfare South Awards and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
Vada Chennai is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film written and directed by Vetrimaaran. It is produced by Lyca Productions, Wunderbar Films and Grass Root Film Company. The film stars Dhanush as Anbu, a skilled carrom player who becomes a reluctant participant in a gang war between two rival gangsters, alongside Kishore, Samuthirakani, Daniel Balaji, Pawan, Andrea Jeremiah, Aishwarya Rajesh and Ameer. It is the first instalment in a planned trilogy.
Raanjhanaa, released in Tamil as Ambikapathy is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Aanand L. Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma. The film is produced by Krishika Lulla under the banner of Eros International. It stars Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Swara Bhaskar. The film was released on 21 June 2013 worldwide, while the Tamil version was released a week later.
Maryan is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharat Bala, and produced by V. Ravichandran, under the banner Aascar Films, starring Dhanush and Parvathy Thiruvothu. The film has music and background score composed by A. R. Rahman; cinematography and editing were done by Marc Koninckx and Vivek Harshan respectively. The dialogues in the film were penned by Joe D' Cruz. Oscar-award winner Resul Pookutty was the sound designer of the film. Maryan is an emotional journey of a common man to an unknown place with the hope to come home and lead a better life. The film's title represents the character as "a man who never dies". This movie is partially inspired from Malayalam novel Aadujeevitham written by Benyamin.
Maari is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Balaji Mohan, jointly produced by Listin Stephen and Radhika's Magic Frames and Dhanush's Wunderbar Films. The film stars Dhanush, singer Vijay Yesudas, and Kajal Aggarwal, while Robo Shankar, Kalloori Vinoth, Kaali Venkat, and Mime Gopi play supporting roles. Dhanush plays Maari, a local gangster. This film also marks Vijay Yesudas's Tamil debut.
Romain Puértolas is a French author. He is most noted for the bestselling French novel The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe, which has been translated into English and has become an international bestseller sold in 36 nations. This novel sold over 100,000 copies in France by August 2014 and topped French bestseller lists.
Dhanush is an Indian actor, film producer, screenwriter and film director known for his work in Tamil cinema. He has also appeared in some Hindi, English and Telugu films. He made his acting debut in 2002 with the coming of age drama, Thulluvadho Ilamai, directed by his father Kasthuri Raja. His role as a mentally-disturbed man in Kaadhal Kondein (2003)—directed by his brother Selvaraghavan—won him critical acclaim. The following year, he starred in Subramaniam Siva's Thiruda Thirudi, a commercial success. This was followed by a series of commercial failures—Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan (2004), Sulaan (2004) and Dreams (2004). He had two releases in 2005—Devathaiyai Kanden and Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam.
Nikhita Gandhi is an Indian playback singer who has worked in Indian films in five different languages. She has worked in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, and Kannada film projects.
Anupama Parameswaran is an Indian actress who primarily works in Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil films. Anupama made her debut with the successful Malayalam film Premam (2015) and is known for her work in Kodi (2016), Jomonte Suvisheshangal (2017), Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi (2017), Natasaarvabhowma (2019), Karthikeya 2 (2022) and Tillu Square (2024).
Sathya Jyothi Films is an Indian film production and distribution company in Tamil Nadu. It was established in 1977 by T. G. Thyagarajan.
Mercury is a 2018 Indian horror thriller film written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj. It stars an ensemble cast including Prabhu Deva, Sananth Reddy, Remya Nambeesan, Indhuja Ravichandran, Deepak Paramesh, Shashank Purushotham, and Anish Padmanabhan, amongst others. Subbaraj presented the film under his own production banner Stone Bench Creations, whilst Jayantilal Gada of Pen India Limited distributed and co-produced the film. It is about the story of five friends who were terrorised by the ghost of a victim, maimed from mercury poisoning.
Kanaa is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language sports drama film starring Sathyaraj, Aishwarya Rajesh, Sivakarthikeyan, and Darshan. The film is written and directed by Arunraja Kamaraj, who is directing for the first time. It was released theatrically on 21 December 2018. The film has music composed by Dhibu Ninan Thomas, cinematography by Dinesh B. Krishnan, editing by Ruben and production by Sivakarthikeyan under his newly established Sivakarthikeyan Productions banner. It was remade in Telugu as Kousalya Krishnamurthy, with Aishwarya and Sivakarthikeyan reprising their roles.
Asuran (transl. Demon) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language period action drama film directed by Vetrimaaran and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu. It is based on the novel Vekkai (transl. Heat) by Poomani. The film stars Dhanush, along with Manju Warrier, Ken Karunas, and Teejay Arunasalam. G. V. Prakash Kumar composed the film's music. The cinematography was handled by Velraj, with editing by R. Ramar.
Bigil (transl. Whistle) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language sports action drama film directed by Atlee and produced by AGS Entertainment. The film stars Vijay in the main dual lead role as father and son alongside an ensemble cast of Nayanthara, Jackie Shroff, Vivek, Kathir, Daniel Balaji, Anandaraj, Yogi Babu, I. M. Vijayan, Arjan Bajwa, Indhuja Ravichandran, Reba Monica John, Amritha Aiyer and Varsha Bollamma. It is the third and final collaboration of Vijay with Atlee after Theri (2016) and Mersal (2017). The film follows Michael Rayappan a.k.a. "Bigil", a former footballer-turned-gangster, who ends up as coach of a women's football team.
Jagame Thandhiram is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by YNOT Studios together with Reliance Entertainment. The film stars Dhanush, James Cosmo, Joju George, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Kalaiyarasan. It marks the Indian film debut of Cosmo and the Tamil debut of George. The film follows Suruli, a gangster from Madurai, who is recruited to help Peter Sprott, a British crime lord, to take down a rival, but later gets caught off guard by the moral dilemmas that follow.
"Rowdy Baby" is a Tamil language song composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja for the soundtrack of the 2018 action comedy film Maari 2 and sung by Dhanush alongside Dhee. The song was officially released on 28 November 2018 as a single from the film.
Ashwanth Ashokkumar is an Indian child actor who works in Tamil-language films. In 2016, he participated in the show Junior Super Star in Zee Tamil and won the title. He is known for his role as Rasukutty in Super Deluxe (2019).
Karnan is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Mari Selvaraj, and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu. The film stars Dhanush, Rajisha Vijayan, Lal, Yogi Babu, Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli and Natarajan Subramaniam. The film features music composed by Santhosh Narayanan, cinematography handled by Theni Eswar, and editing done by Selva R. K. The film features the titular character, hailing from a conservative background, fighting for the rights of his people.