From the looks of it, JOKER reminiscent CHARACTERS [the circles], seems inspired by Koi Mil Gaya [UFO, alien], also Swades [a well-settled Indian in the U.S. returns to his roots – his village], Lagaan [ the dhoti-clad hero and the villagers pose] and Golmaal series [Shreyas Talpade’s incoherent speech, a la Tusshar Kapoor] and of course the fav of many a filmmaker, Spielberg’s ET.
Yet, despite everything in its favor, JOKER falls flat on her face!
In 1947, when the maps of India and Pakistan were signed, a mistake meant that the village Paglapur not a place in either country to find. The village had the distinction of housing the largest mental asylum in the region and in the melee that followed during partition, the asylum inmates broke loose, ran away from the villagers and established their own republic in Paglapur. And that’s how it stayed for the next 60 years! While the outside world changed, Paglapur remained isolated, without electricity, water, television or mental health!
Now, decades after the world forgot this village, a NASA scientist of Indian origin, Agastya [Akshay Kumar] and his friend [Sonakshi Sinha], located on the road to Paglapur. Agastya is working on a project to create a device to communicate with aliens. So why is he in a village whose colorful inhabitants of a man who speaks in gibberish, another who thinks he’s a lamppost and anyone who thinks that the war is still going on? And more importantly, what they will do that soon the universe spotlight on this forgotten village?
Although the title might give an impression that it is a funny guy trying to make people laugh, the fact is that this is about guys who pretend to strangers and how ultimately, they are a real alien face the end. On the bright side, the setting and look magical structures and to build a story around a deserted village must have been enchanting. But interesting concepts do not necessarily translate into interesting films. JOKER runs of gas once director Shirish Kunder, the plot, because neither does the comic quotient work, nor the foreigners [fake and genuine] to save the show. In fact, the film is a mockery of everything you might have seen or heard of UFOs and aliens.
While bits and pieces of the first half is acceptable, the film is completely wrong in its post-interval portions. Seriously, what was Kunder mind while penning and performing this? Imagine an alien dancing to Indian songs and also doing pelvic thrusts! Yes, you read that right!
JAAN-E-MANN, Kunder’s directorial debut, had both style and content, but Kunder the intention of making an entertainer who does not get the right notes this time. Choosing an unconventional story is amazing, but coming up with a catchy 2-hour movie is nothing less than a challenge and that’s what this film boomerangs [fortunately, the duration of the film is less than 2 hours!]. In fact, it is difficult to sit through the film after a point, because what unfolds is ridiculous and bizarre.
The soundtrack of JOKER is not catchy or melodic. “Kafirana ‘, filmed on Chitrangda Singh at the beginning, is the cream of the party, while the remaining numbers of fast-forward variety. A listless score! The cinematography is standard, while the effects are irregular.
Akshay is monotonous and repetitive. Sonakshi gets no space at all. Also, the spark is missing. Shreyas Talpade is reduced to glorified Akshay’s sidekick. Minissha Lamba’s barely there. Arya Babbar, Vindu Dara Singh, Asrani, Sanjay Mishra, Vrajesh Hirjee, Pitobash, Gurpreet Guggi, Darshan Jariwala, Anjan Srivastava, Avtar Gill and Bikramjeet Kanwarpal his hole fillers. Alexx O’Nell is strictly okay.
Overall JOKER is a joke of a movie. Disaster!
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