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.[4] The film released on 30 May 2018 in France.[5] It was released in India, USA, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia on 21 June 2019. It was also released in 6 different languages English, French, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam.[1][6]

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
Theatrical release poster in India
Directed byKen Scott
Produced byLuc Bossi
Jon Goldman
Saurabh Gupta
Aditi Anand
Gulzar Chahal
Grégoire Lassalle
Genevieve Lemal
Jaime Mateus-Tique
Based onThe Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe
by Romain Puertolas
StarringDhanush
Bérénice Bejo
Erin Moriarty
Barkhad Abdi
Gérard Jugnot
Ben Miller
Music byNicolas Errèra
Amit Trivedi
CinematographyVincent Mathias AFC
Production
company
Brio Films
M! Capital Ventures
Little Red Car Films
TF1 Studios
Distributed bySony Pictures (France)
Release date
  • 30 May 2018 (2018-05-30) (France)
  • 21 June 2019 (2019-06-21) (Worldwide)[1]
Running time
92 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[2]
Box office$3.26 million[3]

Plot

Ajatashatru "Aja" Lavash Patel (Dhanush), 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 (Erin Moriarty) 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 (Gérard Jugnot), whom he swindled out of a cab fare back in Paris. Along the way, he befriends a Somali man named Wiraj (Barkhad Abdi), an illegal immigrant whom he met on the way to London.

Cast

Production

The film was launched in January 2016 with Iranian director Marjane Satrapi and actors Dhanush, Uma Thurman, and Alexandra Daddario in the lead roles.[7] However, the director left the project and was replaced by Canadian director Ken Scott. Thurman's role was given to French actress Bérénice Bejo.[8] The filming began in May 2017 in Mumbai. In its first schedule the principal photography took place in India, Brussels, Paris and Rome.[4]

Marketing and release

The film trailer for Australia was launched in August 2018 by Icon Films Australia & New Zealand on YouTube.[9] 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.[10]

The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir released on 30 May 2018 in France.[5] The film was released in India, USA, Canada, UK, Singapore and Malaysia on 21 June 2019.[1] The film was also dubbed in Tamil as Pakkiri benefiting off Dhanush's popularity. The makers had previously considered the title Vaazhkaiyai Thedi Naanum Poren for the dubbed version.[11]

Soundtrack
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
Soundtrack album by
Amit Trivedi
Recorded2019
StudioA T Studios
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length11:25
LanguageHindi / English
LabelZee Music Company
ProducerAmit Trivedi
Amit Trivedi chronology
India's Most Wanted
(2019)		 The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
(2019)		 Mission Mangal
(2019)

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.[12]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Angrezi Luv Shuv"Anvita DuttAmit Trivedi, Jonita Gandhi3:39
2."Madaari"Anvita DuttVishal Dadlani, Nikhita Gandhi3:59
3."Maila Maila"Anvita DuttMame Khan, R Venkatraman3:37
Total length:11:25

Awards and nominations

The film won two international awards: in 2018 it won in Norwegian International Film Festival the Ray of Sunshine Award[13] and in 2019 in Barcelona Sant-Jordi International Film Festival, it won an award for Best Comedy.[14]

Year Award Category Outcome Ref.
2018 Norwegian International Film Festival Ray of Sunshine Award Won [13]
2019 Barcelona Sant-Jordi International Film Festival Best Comedy Won [14]

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."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 8 critics.[16]

The New York Times states that the film is "a bustling, whimsical voyage.”[17]

Box office

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir fared poorly at the box office, grossing $3.26 million against a $20 million budget.[18]

References
  1. "After garnering rave reviews worldwide, Dhanush to launch Indian trailer of 'The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir'". The Times of India. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  2. "'The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  3. "The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  4. "The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir poster: Dhanush's look from Hollywood debut released". Firstpost. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  5. "Tamil version of Dhanush's 'The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir' to release in July – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  6. Keslassy, Elsa (1 November 2017). "Ken Scott's 'The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir' Lures Flurry of Buyers (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  7. Robinson, Will (25 January 2016). "Uma Thurman, Alexandra Daddario cast in Marjane Satrapi film Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir". Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  8. "Dhanush's Hollywood debut to release in May". Daily News and Analysis. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  9. "EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF THE FAKIR | Official Australian Trailer". YouTube. Icon Films Australia & New Zealand. 6 August 2019.
  10. "The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir | Official trailer | Dhanush | Ken Scott | 21 June 2019". YouTube. Zee Music Company. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  11. Suganth, M. (20 June 2019). "Pakkiri Movie Review". Times of India. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  12. "Angrezi Luv Shuv – The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir | Dhanush | Amit Trivedi & Jonita Gandhi". YouTube. Zee Music Company. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  13. Times of India (13 September 2018). "Dhanush's 'The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir' wins international award". Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  14. Times Now (3 May 2019). "Dhanush's The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir bags an international award". Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  15. "The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  16. "The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  17. Kenigsberg, Ben (20 June 2019). "'The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir' Review: A Bustling, Whimsical Voyage". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  18. "The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
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