Mera Naam Joker (1970)

Director:

Raj Kapoor

Writers:

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (dialogue)
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (screenplay)

Plot:

Raju is a joker, a clown. It is what he is and what he always shall be. As his life story unfolds in three chapters...

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

Manoj Kumar	...	David
Simi Garewal	...	Mary
Achala Sachdev	...	Raju's Mother (as Achla Sachdev)
Rishi Kapoor	...	Young Raju
Dharmendra	...	Mahender Kumar (as Dharmender)
Dara Singh	...	Sher Singh
Eduard Sjereda	...	Member of the Soviet State Circus (as Edward Sereda)
Kseniya Ryabinkina	...	Marina (as Miss Ksiena Rabiankina of the Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow)
Rajendra Kumar	...	Mahender Kumar (as Rajender Kumar)
Padmini	...	Meena / Meena Banu Bochali / Master Meenu
Om Prakash	...	Circus Surgeon
Agha	...	Circus Surgeon
Rajendra Nath	...	Circus Surgeon
Sunder	...	Circus Surgeon
Mukri	...	Circus Surgeon

Also Known As:

My Name Is Joker (USA) (informal literal title)

Runtime:

224 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi | Russian | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor) | Black and White (partial)

Aspect Ratio:

1.44 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

India:U

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Company:

R.K. Films Ltd.

Trivia:

The "Life" magazine that Rajoo (Raj Kapoor) reads on the flight to Mumbai has the same picture on the cover as the one issued in the US on 16 September 1966. The cover shows the famous picture of Sophia Loren in her lingerie by Alfred Eisenstaedt beside the headline "The Face of Our Time". The magazine held by Rajoo is an Asia edition whose other headline ("Election surprise in Vietnam") is different to the US edition's "Assassination in South Africa" suggesting that it must have been published later.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta (2001)

Soundtrack:

Oh! Susanna

Memorable masterpiece which is rarely seen today.

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.