The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir explained
| The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir |
| Director: | Ken Scott |
| Producer: | - Luc Bossi
- Jon Goldman
- Saurabh Gupta
- Aditi Anand
- Gulzar Chahal
- Grégoire Lassalle
- Genevieve Lemal
- Jaime Mateus-Tique
|
| Starring: | |
| Music: | Nicolas Errèra
Amit Trivedi |
| Cinematography: | Vincent Mathias AFC |
| Editing: | Yvann Thibaudeau |
| Studio: | - Brio Films
- Vamonos Films
- Scope Pictures
- Little Red Car Films
- TF1 Studio
- Sony Pictures Entertainment France
- Aleph Motion Pictures
- M! Capital Ventures
- Impact Films
- RTBF
- Digital District
- Cactus World Films
|
| Distributor: | - Sony Pictures Releasing (France)
- AA Films (India)
- Scope Pictures (Belgium)
|
| Runtime: | 92 minutes |
| Country: | |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $20 million[1] |
| Gross: | $3.26 million[2] |
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.
The film released in France on 30 May 2018 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.[3]
Plot
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."
Production
The film was launched in January 2016 with Iranian director Marjane Satrapi and actors Dhanush, Uma Thurman, and Alexandra Daddario in the lead roles.[4] However, the director left the project and was replaced by Canadian director Ken Scott. Thurman's role was given to French actress Bérénice Bejo.[5] The filming began in May 2017 in Mumbai. In its first schedule the principal photography took place in India, Brussels, Paris and Rome.[6]
Release
The film trailer for Australia was launched in August 2018 by Icon Films Australia & New Zealand on YouTube.[7] 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.[8]
The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir released on 30 May 2018 in France.[9] The film was released in India, USA, Canada, UK, Singapore and Malaysia on 21 June 2019.[10] 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.
Soundtrack
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]
Awards and nominations
The film won two international awards: in 2018 it won in Norwegian International Film Festival the Ray of Sunshine Award and in 2019 in Barcelona Sant-Jordi International Film Festival, it won an award for Best Comedy.
Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . 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."[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 8 critics.[18]
The New York Times stated that the film is "a bustling, whimsical voyage.”[19]
Box office
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir fared poorly at the box office, grossing $3.26 million against a $20 million budget.[2]
Notes and References
- Web site: 'The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir': Film Review . 9 April 2019 . The Hollywood Reporter . 5 June 2018 . 16 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180616181017/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/extraordinary-journey-fakir-1117222 . live .
- Web site: The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir . 26 June 2019 . Box Office Mojo . 17 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171017022227/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&country=FR&id=_fTHEEXTRAORDINARY02 . live .
- News: Keslassy . Elsa . 2017-11-01 . Ken Scott's 'The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir' Lures Flurry of Buyers (EXCLUSIVE) . en-US . Variety . 2018-05-31 . 12 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612223933/https://variety.com/2017/film/global/ken-scotts-the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir-lures-flurry-of-buyers-exclusive-1202603971/ . live .
- Robinson . Will . 25 January 2016 . Uma Thurman, Alexandra Daddario cast in Marjane Satrapi film Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir . . 21 June 2019 . 21 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190621173329/https://ew.com/article/2016/01/25/uma-thurman-alexandra-daddario-marjane-satrapi/ . live .
- Web site: 25 February 2018 . Dhanush's Hollywood debut to release in May . 21 June 2019 . . 21 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190621173439/https://www.dnaindia.com/hollywood/report-dhanush-s-hollywood-debut-to-release-in-may-2588156 . live .
- News: 2 November 2017 . The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir poster: Dhanush's look from Hollywood debut released . en-US . Firstpost . 6 June 2019 . 7 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190607200937/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/dhanushs-first-look-released-from-his-hollywood-debut-the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir-4189067.html . live .
- Web site: 6 August 2019 . EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF THE FAKIR Official Australian Trailer . YouTube . Icon Films Australia & New Zealand . 6 June 2019 . 6 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190606132042/https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SylItu9-D0I . live .
- Web site: The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Official trailer Dhanush Ken Scott 21 June 2019 . 3 June 2019 . YouTube . Zee Music Company . 6 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190606122835/https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H1WASu-s4eA . live .
- Web site: Tamil version of Dhanush's 'The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir' to release in July – Times of India . 9 April 2019 . The Times of India . 29 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181029164718/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/tamil-version-of-dhanushs-the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir-to-release-in-july/articleshow/64221889.cms . live .
- Web site: 3 June 2019 . After garnering rave reviews worldwide, Dhanush to launch Indian trailer of 'The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir' . 6 June 2019 . The Times of India . 3 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190603233505/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/after-garnering-rave-reviews-worldwide-dhanush-to-launch-indian-trailer-of-the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir/articleshow/69633258.cms . live .
- Web site: Suganth . M. . 20 June 2019 . Pakkiri Movie Review . 20 June 2019 . Times of India . 22 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190622084049/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pakkiri/movie-review/69876250.cms . live .
- Web site: தனுஷின் புதிய பாடலிவுட் படம் 'பக்கிரி' ஜூன் 21ல் ரிலீஸ்! . Dhanush's new Bollywood film 'Bakhiri' releases on June 21! . Samayam Tamil . 19 February 2022 . ta . 19 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220219060747/https://tamil.samayam.com/tamil-cinema/movie-news/dhanush-new-movie-fakir-will-release-on-june-21/articleshow/69436760.cms . live .
- Web site: Dhanush's The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir crosses million dollar milestone at French box office. Firstpost. 9 September 2022. 18 July 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230718144438/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/dhanushs-the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir-crosses-million-dollar-milestone-at-french-box-office-4611601.html. live.
- Web site: Angrezi Luv Shuv – The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Dhanush Amit Trivedi & Jonita Gandhi . 7 June 2019 . YouTube . Zee Music Company.
- News: Times of India . 2018-09-13 . Dhanush's 'The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir' wins international award . en-IN . 2019-05-05 . 30 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190130222046/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/dhanushs-the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir-wins-international-award/articleshow/65794747.cms . live .
- News: Times Now . 2019-05-03 . Dhanush's The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir bags an international award . en-IN . 2019-05-05 . 5 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190505170802/https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment/south-gossip/article/dhanushs-the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir-bags-an-international-award-south-news/412265 . live .
- Web site: The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir (2018). Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. . 11 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190611174656/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_extraordinary_journey_of_the_fakir. live.
- Web site: The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Reviews . 21 February 2020 . . . 10 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220210215611/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir . live .
- Web site: Kenigsberg . Ben . 20 June 2019 . 'The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir' Review: A Bustling, Whimsical Voyage . 21 June 2019 . The New York Times . 20 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190620231358/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/20/movies/the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir-review.html . live .
