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.

Mera Naam Joker will always leave a lasting impression on me. The story was loosely based on Raj Kapoor's life & is a tale of divided into 3 chapters (as the joker would say the 1st chapter representing childhood, the 2nd youth & the 3rd ultimately old age). The film tells the story of a man searching for love, giving his heart & soul to entertain the world asking only for the world to have a place in its heart for him. His philosophy prevents him from showing the negative human emotions as the joker lives for the audience applause he can only laugh at the hardships in life, never allowed to shed a tear in sadness.

A scene that sums this up is when Raju (Joker) loses his mother to a heart attack (when she discovers her son has taken up the profession which killed her husband in a stunt that went horribly wrong). But as they say in showbiz the show must go on. Therefore Raju has no time to mourn for the mother who had supported him all his life. Carrying the guilt that he may have directly caused his mothers death he returns to the stage to his adoring public. However the heartache he feels overwhelms him & in a fit of total despair & loss he cries out 'Maa (mother) Maa'. As the circus clears Raju is the only person left standing alone with empty seats surrounding him. Kapoor effectively pulls off the act of shear desolation shielded by a veil of self-ridicule to really give you an impression of the inner torment that Raju eventually succumbs to.

If you are prepared to ignore the flaws in the film such as the over melodramatic parts (which there are plenty of) & prepared to watch the full 4 hours you should find Mera Naam Joker thoroughly consuming & invaluable insight into the life & relationships of an actor few have surpassed in the Indian film industry.

Raj Kapoor presents an hypothetical autobiography of scathing power that might be his most uncompromising movie and true legacy. Rishi Kapoor plays the young Raj very convincingly and I found the first part to be the most refreshing and touching. The Joker's philosophy is true but does not have may buyers but use this movie as a grand scale memento mori. Check out Raj Kapoor's 'Jagte Raho' for a more devastating social critique. The film is unique for a true Indo-Russian love story and dialogue in Russian. Love and let live.

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.