Mera Naam Joker () is a 1970 Indian epic romantic drama film, directed, edited and produced by Raj Kapoor under his banner R. K. Films, and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. The film stars Raj Kapoor as the eponymous character, with his son Rishi Kapoor making his screen debut playing his younger version, along with Simi Garewal, Kseniya Ryabinkina, Padmini, Manoj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Dharmendra and Dara Singh in supporting roles. The plot focuses on a clown who must make his audience laugh at the cost of his sorrows; three women who shaped his life view his final performance.

The film is one of the lengthiest films of Indian cinema. Mera Naam Joker is the second and to date last Indian film to have two intervals, the first being Sangam (1964). After Sangam became a blockbuster, Mera Naam Joker was highly anticipated as it had been under production for six years and heavily publicized, loosely based on Kapoor's own life. The film was partly made with the participation of Soviet actors and was partly shot in Moscow. The film's music, still very popular, was composed by Shankar Jaikishan, for which the duo got their ninth Filmfare award. In India, upon release the film was critical and commercial failure, putting Kapoor into a financial crisis, as the film was panned for its length and plot. The film later on became a cult classic and is regarded as one of Raj Kapoor's best films and among the best Bollywood films of the 20th century. The film is now regarded as one of Kapoor's finest works, with film experts labeling it as a "misunderstood masterpiece".

An abridged version was released in the 1980s and had a highly successful run at the box office. Kapoor termed it his favourite film and described it as having much philosophical depth and meaning. In the Soviet Union, the film also initially drew mixed reviews from critics, yet commercially became a blockbuster at the Soviet box office after it released there in 1972. Rather than being released as a single film, the film's three chapters were released separately as three parts in the Soviet Union. The three parts of the film collectively sold tickets at the Soviet box office.

  • Eduard Sjereda as a Member of the Soviet State Circus

Soundtrack

Production

Mera Naam Joker was under production for six years, with Raj Kapoor investing much of his own personal fortune. All his assets were mortgaged. The film has three chapters. Originally, it was to have six chapters. Khwaja Ahmad Abbas wrote the screenplay with Kapoor in mind, and several instances in the story was based on Kapoor's own life, such as the Christian school teacher episode. Kapoor approached each chapter as it were three separate films. He shot the third chapter first as Padmini and Rajendra Kumar were available at the time. By the time he began the first chapter, he was behind schedule and over the budget. The school scenes were shot at St. Paul's School, Darjeeling. The film was five hours long. The clown mask used by Kapoor in the film was burned in a fire at RK Studios in 2017.

The film also makes references to Raj Kapoor's career throughout. The popular title track of Awaara (1951) is used near the end of the second chapter. In the song "Kehta Hai Joker Saara Zamana", a child looks up reels of Shree 420 (1955) in a bioscope, which featured Nargis, who formed an iconic pair with Raj Kapoor in the 40s and 50s. The poster of Kapoor's previous film Sangam is also seen.

Reception

India

Upon release in India, Mera Naam Joker was widely derided for its length and the experimental nature of its plot, and it became a critical and commercial failure. The film had two intervals. It later came to be considered a cult classic, and it is considered one of Kapoor's best films. Its reputation was revived, which happened after India was introduced to world cinema.

Soviet Union

In the Soviet Union, the film's distribution rights were sold for , the highest for an Indian film up until then. Upon release, the film initially also drew a mixed reaction from Russian critics. This was equivalent to an estimated million Rbls (, ) at the time, or () adjusted for inflation in .

Themes and analysis

The crux of the film is how Raju, the joker, entertains people and makes them laugh, but to do so hides many hardships and heartbreaks of his own life. The 'Joker' is an allegory for not just clowns, but artists and entertainers of all kinds, like Raj Kapoor himself.

In the film, the audience does not concern itself with the person who is performing but accepts only the performer divorced from his personal situation, his emotions and even from his real persona. The audience embraces only the character that entertains them and does not associate with the real person playing that character. The film implies that life itself is a performance, literally turning Raju's life into chapters of a film.

Therefore, to the “Joker” there is no reality outside performance, he only belongs to the stage, to his character, to the performance, and the audience.

In the end Raju gives a speech to the audience where he says that the "show" will always go on although it may have different characters, meaning that artists will go through the same across generations.

The film is also semi-autobiographical, reportedly based on the life experiences of Raj Kapoor.

Awards

; 18th National Film Awards<nowiki>:</nowiki>

  • Best Child Artist – Rishi Kapoor
  • Best Male Playback Singer – Manna Dey for "Ae Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo"
  • Best Cinematography (Color) – Radhu Karmakar

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; 19th Filmfare Awards<nowiki>:</nowiki>:

Won

  • Best Director – Raj Kapoor
  • Best Music Director – Shankar–Jaikishan
  • Best Male Playback Singer – Manna Dey for "Ae Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo"
  • Best Cinematography – Radhu Karmakar
  • Best Sound Design – Allauddin Khan Qureshi

Nominated

  • Best Film – Raj Kapoor
  • Best Lyricist – Gopaldas Neeraj for "Ae Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo"

See also

  • List of highest-grossing Indian films in overseas markets
  • Sad clown paradox

References

  • Mera Naam Joker on YouTube