Hindi (U/A)
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Shreyas Talpade, Asrani, Chitrangada Singh
Director: Shirish Kunder
Everyone has a right to make a bad film. It comes guised under the garb of freedom of expression, but why does one have to be subjected to it?
Despite this statement, one is inclined to be kind to Shirish Kunder. This 'kind bit' is prompted by the fact that he has attempted to make a political statement through Joker, though inadvertently. It is another matter that he completely lost the thread. Neither Akshay Kumar nor the waiting-to-sizzle Sonakshi Sinha do justice to their roles in this non-starter of a film.
The trouble with political statements is that not many know or understand how to weave them into a cohesive narrative or make them comprehensible to the people they are meant for (read Bollywood's desperation to reach out to the Lowest Common Denominator). So people like Kunder end up simplifying their non-existent plots to the point of inanity.
There are a lot of things that go wrong with this fantasy adventure. According to news reports, Joker was supposed to be a children's film, in 3D and an action adventure. It is none of the above.
Agastya (Akshay) is a scientist attempting to make contact with aliens. Tricked into coming back to his village Paglapur — which has literally fallen off the map of India — the rest of the film revolves around how our hero will get it back on the map.
Along the way, he will attempt to draw the world's attention to Paglapur by 'making up some aliens' — read dumb villagers dressed up in pumpkin/Halloween guises and creating some crop circles — pretending that they were made by UFOs!
Coming to the political bit, in his bid to get netas to take Paglapur seriously, Agastya uses the metaphor of a joker as someone who is not of a specific colour but can win a game of cards — when used smartly. The joker, here, are the villagers of Paglapur who are wooed and shunned by the world, by turns. But as jokers, literally and metaphorically, they do find their way back on India's map. But I so wish that hadn't happened!
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Shreyas Talpade, Asrani, Chitrangada Singh
Director: Shirish Kunder
Everyone has a right to make a bad film. It comes guised under the garb of freedom of expression, but why does one have to be subjected to it?
Despite this statement, one is inclined to be kind to Shirish Kunder. This 'kind bit' is prompted by the fact that he has attempted to make a political statement through Joker, though inadvertently. It is another matter that he completely lost the thread. Neither Akshay Kumar nor the waiting-to-sizzle Sonakshi Sinha do justice to their roles in this non-starter of a film.
The trouble with political statements is that not many know or understand how to weave them into a cohesive narrative or make them comprehensible to the people they are meant for (read Bollywood's desperation to reach out to the Lowest Common Denominator). So people like Kunder end up simplifying their non-existent plots to the point of inanity.
There are a lot of things that go wrong with this fantasy adventure. According to news reports, Joker was supposed to be a children's film, in 3D and an action adventure. It is none of the above.
Agastya (Akshay) is a scientist attempting to make contact with aliens. Tricked into coming back to his village Paglapur — which has literally fallen off the map of India — the rest of the film revolves around how our hero will get it back on the map.
Along the way, he will attempt to draw the world's attention to Paglapur by 'making up some aliens' — read dumb villagers dressed up in pumpkin/Halloween guises and creating some crop circles — pretending that they were made by UFOs!
Coming to the political bit, in his bid to get netas to take Paglapur seriously, Agastya uses the metaphor of a joker as someone who is not of a specific colour but can win a game of cards — when used smartly. The joker, here, are the villagers of Paglapur who are wooed and shunned by the world, by turns. But as jokers, literally and metaphorically, they do find their way back on India's map. But I so wish that hadn't happened!
