Joker is an upcoming Hindi fantasy adventure film directed by Shirish Kunder, and also his second directorial venture after Jaan-E-Mann. The film stars Akshay Kumar opposite Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles. This will be the second film in which Sinha is paired opposite Kumar after Rowdy Rathore. The film will release worldwide on August 31st, 2012. Joker is reportedly Akshay Kumar’s 100th film. The trailer of the film revealed on 11 July 2012, and also in cinemas along with Cocktail.
Plot :
In 1947 when the maps of India and Pakistan were being drawn, an oversight ensured that the village of Paglapur didn’t find a place in either country. The village had the distinction of housing the largest mental asylum in the region and in the melee that ensued during partition, the asylum inmates broke loose, drove away the villagers and established their own republic in Paglapur. And that’s how it stayed for the next 60 years! While the world outside changed, Paglapur remained isolated, with no electricity, television or sanity! Now, decades after the world forgot this village, a NASA scientist of Indian origin, Raj/Agasthya (same name as Akshay Kumar had in Jaaneman) and his wife, Manali find themselves on the road to Paglapur. Raj is working on a top secret project for creating a device to communicate with aliens. So why is he in a village whose colourful inhabitants include a man who speaks in gibberish, another who thinks he is a lamp post and everyone else who think Mahatma Gandhi is still around, fighting for independence?
Production (Development) :
Shirish Kunder had the project in development for several years before finding financial backing, and had to negotiate for use of the specific title which Kunder stated is important to the script itself. The film is being produced by Farah Khan, Shirish Kunder, and Akshay Kumar under the banner of Three’s Company and Hari Om Entertainment. The film was shot in 3D using 3D cameras, however in June 2012, it was announced that the film was no longer in 3D anymore, since Ra.One and Don 2 have taken the goals, if Joker flopped it would be a loss on the whole crew, therefore the film will only be released in 2D format. According to director, Shirish Kunder, "It is an underdog story about how individuals make it big in life and in the process, get help from aliens from a fictional planet". Shreyas Talpade will play Akshay’s brother in the film. Female lead opposite to Shreyas will be played by Minisha Lamba, who will enact the role of an innocent TV reporter. Sonakshi will also perform an item number in the film. American actor Alexx ONell was also signed to play a role in the film.
On Twitter, Sonakshi Sinha, the leading actress revealed the reason for the confusing title- Joker. She wrote on Twitter: “JOKER refers to a place that does not exist on the global map. Just like #Joker in a pack of cards that does not belong to any colour.”
The film has got some amazing Aliens, all designed by Preetisheel G Singh.
Filming :
The first schedule of shooting was initially slated to take place in Ludhiana, however the location was changed to Chandigarh. The shooting began on 14 February 2011, in Chandigarh. The crew finished the 19 day schedule on 12 March 2011, finishing 40% of the production work. The second schedule started on 17 May 2011 in Mumbai and concluded in June 2011. The film is now slated to release on the 31st of August, 2012. The theatrical trailer was released on UTV Motion Pictures’ YouTube channel on 11th July 2012 only online. Whilst it released worldwide on television on 13 July 2012, and also in cinemas along with Cocktail.
Soundtrack :
The soundtrack of the film is composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, nephew of noted composer, A. R. Rahman. A song titled I Want Fakth You from Joker was leaked online on 11 July 2012, along with the theatrical trailer. The song has been acclaimed by the audience, however the song is actually named Kaafirana and will be released under that title worldwide and also on the soundtrack.
Promotion :
The trailer of the film was released on the web on 11th July 2012 and the theatrical release is scheduled with the release of the movie Cocktail. The trailer reveals a fun filled ride with villagers and the main characters formulating and executing an idea to get worldwide media attention and struggling with the consequences.