Mera Naam Joker (translation: My Name is Joker) is a 1970 Hindi film directed by Raj Kapoor. The screenplay was written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. This film was the debut of Rishi Kapoor. Mera Naam Joker is a film about a clown who must make his audience laugh at the cost of his own sorrows. The film is reportedly inspired by Raj Kapoor’s own life and the clown an allegory for his own life as an actor.
Plot
Mera Naam Joker is the story of Raju, whose father was a considered the best circus clown ever. Ever since Raju’s father died in a trapeze accident during his performance, Raju’s mother had always been repulsed by the circus. As luck would have it, Raju had a natural affinity towards the circus world. The film traces Raju’s journey from his childhood to the day of his last performance.
Mera Naam Joker is divided into 3 chapters. The first chapter is about the adolescent Raju where he is infatuated with his teacher Mary (Simi Garewal). Here is where Raju comes to the realisation that he was born to make the world laugh, even through his own troubles.
After his first heartbreak, story moves on to the adult Raju who is working with Gemini Circus as a clown. The circus is owned by Mahendra Singh (Dharmendra). Here he meets Marina (Kseniya Ryabinkina), a Russian trapeze artist and despite the language barrier he manages to fall in love with her, and dreams of a married life with her. But Raju faces heartbreak once again when the circus ends and Marina returns to Russia. It is in this chapter that Raju’s mother dies just before Raju’s performance, and he has to go up on stage regardless.
In the final chapter, Raju meets Meena (Padmini), a woman who has ambitions of becoming a famous actress. By this point, Raju is a derelict and earns some money through manual labour. Meena befriends him and manages to win his heart only to dump him in the end due to her lust for success.
Themes
Raju always carries a clown doll which belonged to his father. Every time he fell in love, he gifted his beloved doll, only to see it come back to him. One can see that the doll is used as a metaphor for Raju’s simplistic heart where there is room for everyone.
Reaction
Six years in the making, with Raj Kapoor investing much of his own personal fortune, Mera Naam Joker flopped at the box office. In later years, however, the film has garnered critical praise.
Trivia
The school shown at which Rishi Kapoor’s character studies is St Paul’s School, Darjeeling.
Raj Kapoor spent so much of his own fortune that on flopping the film at the box office,Raj came close to be totally bankrupt, so much so that he was said to be thinking of auctioning the famed RK studious in order to pay off the debts.
The film is said to have started shooting in 1963 and finished in 1970.
Cast
- Raj Kapoor—Raju (The Joker)
- Manoj Kumar—David
- Simi Garewal—Mary
- Rishi Kapoor—Young Raju
- Dharmendra—Mahendra
- Dara Singh—Sher Singh
- Kseniya Ryabinkina—Marina
- Padmini—Meena
- Rajendra Kumar—Himself
- Achala Sachdev—Raju’s Mother
- Eduard Sjereda—Member of the Soviet State Circus
