Mera Naam Joker

I first saw this movie when it was first released in the cinemas in 1970. The movie shows the life of a clown, who has gone through many ups and downs in his life. As a child he is infatuated by his teacher, Mary but due to being poor he has to try and help his mother by acting like a clown. He finds out that his father was a clown in circus and that he is killed in an accident. He is finally expelled from school despite objections from the teacher. On his departure, he is informed that the teacher is leaving and is getting married and that her fiancé wants him to be his best man. At the same time, he is handed back a doll of a clown, which he had once given to his teacher. The next part is when he grows up and meets some Russian circus artists and decides to try and join them. During this time he falls in love with a female trapeze artist and despite language barrier he dreams of marrying her. but soon his mother, on finding out his real job, dies during one of his performances and he decides that life has to go on. But the circus closes and the artists return. Once again, he is handed the doll back The third and the final part is where he meets a dancer, Meena, who has to dress up as a boy in order survive. They fall in love and do many shows during which time, he informs her that he hates liers and leaves her for a while. Upon his return he gives her his doll. But soon this is returned when Meena finally finds a man with whom she thinks she will find fame with. The movie has a multistarcast, including Raj Kapoor himself. It is also partly based on his life. The music is provided superbly by Shankar Jaikeshen and the songs are meaningful and with emotions and are sung by the late Mukesh. Even after all these years, when I listen to the songs, I still find them full emotions but still fresh as ever and especially:"Jeena Hana Marna Hana" and Jane Kahan Gaye Woh Din." They say that Mukesh was Raj Kapoor's voice on the screen and this movies proves it. On the whole this is one movie that is worth to watch.

I will not repeat the same thing which is already covered by others. Mera Naam Joker I would say Raj Kapoor's one of the finest work in his career. A series followed after Awara, Sree 420, and Jagte Raho. Infect in true senses he expressed his real tribute to himself, his career. Whatever he learned he put everything into this. The philosophy says "the show must go on" who knows more than an actor. So whether he is happy or sad or crying he should always look happy and never show traces of his personal anguish. Personally Raj Kapoor was inspired by Charley Chaplin's work and we get the glimpse in his early movies. His philosophy behind this movie is true and very natural. Lets discuss different stages one by one.

Episode I

Adolescent infatuation, his thoughts, his dreams are true and I must say everyone must have faced the same situation with his teacher when in school. His point here only depicts how a young developing mind fantasies. His gesture to present his idol joker to his teacher is a very philosophical thought that only a director like Raj Kapoor can think. He repeats the same with other two women and gets it back all the time.

Episode II

This version depicts the young and passionate love of joker Raju. He tried to show a person in this age group does not think anything other than love, he thinks for romance and fantasies. Here too joker loves, dreams and shows his innocent heart. Raj Kapoor gave his life's best performance as a young joker.

Episode III

I would say this part was the only reason for the movie's failure. People at that time were not used to see mature love story. It was the time when they were used to see Shammi Kapoor's kind of love stories with young and sweet actresses. Padmini's appearance in the last episode makes the movie relatively dull as she was not a very talented actress rather a great dancer. She was never successful in her career in Hindi movies. However Raj Kapoor acted very well in as mature joker. His philosophy extends in this one. As he shows every one is a joker in his life. Life is a stage and everyone needs to perform his part and continue with his journey.

The symbol joker was returned to him thrice as if his heart was given back. His last duologue touches the most when his says his play will not stop here this is just an interval , which may be for 15 min,15 hours or 15 months so please don't go away . He said whatever he wanted to convey from this movie . He tried to prove that from this movie joker's next phase starts and surely after that he never acted in his movies as a hero. He chose his next episode where joker was directing other jokers for his show. Certainly it is his autobiographical work. At last I must say no one can replace a director like Raj Kapoor.

This film though stretched 3 hours and 44 minutes touches the human heart. Loving a girl next door, singing songs, marrying at the end were routine when this film was made.

Raj Kapoor who was famous for his innovative ideas and selection of plots for story aptly chose the untouched Joker as main character of his movie Mera Naam Joker. In different phases of the life he falls in love with different heroines, but always loses his love. This is the novelty in the story.

The dialogues like "kabhi mai bhi solah saal ka tha", Raj crying Maa...Maa.. touches the human heart.

Let the Film bombed at the box-office, but it was released for more than 30 times in Hyderabad(India)especially at Royal Theatre (Hyd, on all the occasions it ran for 40+ days.

I happened to watch this movie on all the releases, but every time the same age-old humane touch touched my heart. Even today, in the mechanical life, If I feel that I am becoming mechanical or going away from the humanitarian feelings, I simply close my bedroom doors, slid the CD in and watch this movie patiently. My heart weeps, my body becomes heavy and in the next morning I fully a human with concern towards my fellow beings.

In my life of 40 years I saw many a movie, but none touched my heart at Mera Naam Joker did.

I salute the thinker, director and brave producer...Late Raj Kapoor for producing the great movie Mera Naam Joker.

I consider Mera Naam Joker to be one of Raj Kapoor's finest movie followed by Sangam. As a child I disliked Mera Naam Joker,I thought it was dull then years later I watched it again and realised how wrong I was. Mera Naam Joker was Raj Kapoor's personal project,he invested millions and millions into MNJ only for it to fail miserably at the box office. Since it's release MNJ is regarded as a cult classic. Looking at the movie you can see where that money went,MNJ has cameos from Bollywood's leading actors:Dharmendra, Simi Garewal, Manoj Kumar,Rajendra Kumar,Dhara Singh and many more. Mera Naam Joker tells the story of a man who is lonely and unhappy and yet he spreads his happiness around the world dressed up as a clown. The music as per usual for a RK production is extraordinary, my favourite is Jeena Yahan Marna Yahn which has a haunting feel to it. It is a real shame that on it's release MNJ didn't get the recognition it rightfully deserves. MNJ is a unique movie experience that will touch people's heart and will remain fixed in their memory forever

This supposedly autobiographical epic tale from Raj Kapoor broke all film-making conventions of '70s India. It was too long, there was no constant heroine and the hero never won.

Yet, the story unfolds beautifully, taking the viewer through the life of a simple man and his women. The protagonist is unreal in his simplicity and is more of a metaphor for the ideal lover. And like an ideal lover, he fails again and again. No film has better romanticised the self-defeatist trend of being a "good human being".

It is an understanding of romance in many stages seen through an unbiased almost transparent male perspective. It is more a study of "love" than a love story in itself.

The protagonist, pitched as a clown, brings to light the forever defeated lover, who the world laughs at. Good guys really do finish last. This is no Devdas. This is a man who goes through extreme emotional anguish only to stand back up again and expose himself and his pain to the world so that others may have a good laugh.

The downward spiral of the protagonist's resilient self-defeatist selfless romance bring no conclusive climax. And perhaps, that's how it really is. For people like these, there really is no conclusion. Life just goes on and on and chapters of their defeat just pile on one after the other.

A sublime movie.