The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir


The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is a 2018 English-language French adventure comedy film directed by Ken Scott and starring Dhanush. It is based on a novel by Romain Puertolas titled The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe, which was originally written in French. The film was shot in India, Brussels, Paris and Rome. The film released on 30 May 2018 in France. It was released in India, USA, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia on 21 June 2019.

Plot

Ajatashatru "Aja" Lavash Patel, who has lived all his life in a small Mumbai neighborhood, is a street magician and trickster who tricks people into believing that he possesses special magic powers. After his mother's untimely death, he sets off on a journey to find his estranged father in Paris with a fake EUR 100 note. There, he meets a woman named Marie Riviere in a furniture store whom he initially swindles, but is quickly attracted to her personality. Aja then experiences a series of wide-ranging adventures around the world, initially in an IKEA wardrobe to London, England, then a Louis Vuitton suitcase to Rome, Italy, and a hot air balloon to a ship heading to Tripoli, Libya, while being pursued by Parisian taxi-driver Gustave Palourde, whom he swindled out of a cab fare back in Paris. Along the way, he befriends a Somali man named Wiraj, an illegal immigrant whom he met on the way to London.

Cast

The film was launched in January 2016 with Iranian director Marjane Satrapi and actors Dhanush, Uma Thurman, and Alexandra Daddario in the lead roles. However, the director left the project and was replaced by Canadian director Ken Scott. Thurman's role was given to French actress Bérénice Bejo. The filming began in May 2017 in Mumbai. In its first schedule the principal photography took place in India, Brussels, Paris and Rome.

Marketing and release

The film trailer for Australia was launched in August 2018 by Icon Films Australia & New Zealand on YouTube. For release in India the official trailer was launched on 3 June 2019 by Zee Music Company. It fetched more than 5 million views since its release on YouTube.
The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir released on 30 May 2018 in France.
The film was released in India, USA, Canada, UK, Singapore and Malaysia on 21 June 2019. This movie was also dubbed in Tamil as Pakkiri benefiting off Dhanush's popularity.

Soundtrack

The music of the songs is composed by Amit Trivedi, with lyrics by Anvita Dutt. The chorus singers are Rajiv Sundaresan and Suhas Sawant in the song
"Madaari". The Zee Music Company holds the right.

Awards and nominations

The film won two international awards: in 2018 it won in Norwegian International Film Festival the Ray of Sunshine Award and in 2019 in Barcelona Sant-Jordi International Film Festival, it won an award for Best Comedy.
YearAwardCategoryOutcome
2018Norwegian International Film FestivalRay of Sunshine Award
2019Barcelona Sant-Jordi International Film FestivalBest Comedy

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 57% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 5.31/10. The critics consensus reads, "The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is undermined by its mawkish indulgences, but Dhanush's charming central performance is difficult to resist." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 8 critics.
The New York Times states that the film is "a bustling, whimsical voyage.”

Box office

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir fared poorly at the box office, grossing $3.26 million against a budget of $20 million.