No....I am not a fan of Raj Kapoor, the actor! But yes, I am an addict of Raj Kapoor, the film maker.
The Film and Me
The first time I saw Mera Naam Joker was way back in 1982. I was nine. I slept through the major part of the movie. The only part I enjoyed was the circus. I never understood why people around me were so sentimental while watching the bulky clown on the screen. I mean, he was just a clown.....and people were supposed to laugh, isn't it? I was laughing!
We flash forward! The year 1990. I was grown-up enough to understand that Raj Kapoor was a filmmaker who couldn't be taken lightly. He made intense films. I decided to once again see this childhood circus movie.
The Story
The story is divided into three main parts- the love of the three ages! The childhood crush, the youthful love, and finally the middle aged craving.
We follow the life of Raju. His ambition is to become a joker in the circus, and make people laugh, the way his father did before he died.
Stage One
We see his puppy love, which in essence is strong infatuation, for his teacher. The teacher, who is engaged, has a very understanding fiance, who handles his lover's wooer with very mature counseling. Raju gifts his teacher with a doll(which is incidentally a clown). The doll is returned to him on the teacher's wedding.
Raju is the best man.
Stage Two
Then we enter the phase of young love. Raju joins the circus as Raju joker, and keeps his mother in the dark as to his profession, as the mother does not want him to be a clown in the circus. Raju's life experiences the flutter of youthful love when his circus collaborates with a Russian circus. This time the ladylove is a Russian trapeze artist. As with the teacher, Raju gifts this girl with the same doll. Unfortunately, here too Raju loses the girl, who returns the doll and leaves him.
Raju kisses her farewell.
Stage Three
The last phase of his life is with a girl who dresses up as a boy and does street shows with her dog. This is the third relationship that Raju experiences....in his middle age. She too receives the doll as a gift from Raju. This is his worst heartbreak, as the girl ditches him for success and career, for which Raju has worked very hard. Again the doll changes hands and is back with poor Raju.
Raju returns back to the circus.
The Impact
So that's it in a nutshell. A simple, but lengthy plot. So what made the film so great? Allow me to explain.
The movie acquired a whole new meaning for my grown-up mind. I could see beyond the joker. I could feel his emotions.
It touches you to see the life of the joker, who everyone believes is for entertainment. And Raju, true to his profession, never hurts anyone, and continues his work of spreading humour and laughter, even when his heart is crying. The doll, which represents his innocent heart is just a toy for all, who take it from him, play with it, and then return it back. And never does the smile on Raju's face vanish! He cannot afford to show his wound. After all, he is a joker!
The Best Scene
I am sure that different people will have different favourites. I am writing here the scene that had me in tears! The scene opens with the circus, where Raju's mother has come to see her son, and Raju does not know about it. She has always been against Raju joining the circus because of the ghastly way his father died. Symbolic of the whole plot of the film, his father, a clown, had expired when he had a wrong fall from the trapeze. The whole crowd is laughing at the antics of his father after the fall, when in reality, he is writhing in pain and breathing his last. The father dies when the whole crowd around him is laughing and applauding him. This is the prime reason for her to oppose her son from joining the circus. Now, in the prelude to the scene I am about to narrate, his mother is watching in horror as her son, completely oblivious of his mother's presence in the crowd, goes on the trapeze...and falls! Though nothing happens to Raju, the fall is enough for Raju's mother to suffer a fatal cardiac attack.
Raju is all set, with the make up on his face, ready to enter the arena for his act, when the circus members inform him about his loss. The show must go on! Raju enters the arena, leaving the other circus staff standing near his mother's dead body.
The scene opens with Raju holding a pigeon in his hands. He is upto his regular antics, as the circus staff is watching with tears in their eyes. Suddenly the pigeon flutters off. Raju shouts frantically that he wants the pigeon back. The crowd laughs. And then Raju cries ''Waaaaaa''.....and water spurts out from his eyes. The water is spurting, and the audience applauds this new trick by the joker they love!
Truly, a memorable scene!
The Credits
This film was directed and edited by the great showman Raj Kapoor himself. And what a fantastic job he did!
The story and the screenplay was by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, who also wrote the dialogues jointly with Jainendra Jain.
The music was by Shankar Jaikishen, and the lyrics were written by Prem Dhawan, Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri and Neeraj.
Trivia seekers may be interested to know that Shailendra expired midway through the film, and his songs were later completed by his son, Shaily.
The Cons
The film was lengthy by the standards of those days.
Raj Kapoor looked a bit too old, especially for part 2.
P.S. - Ironically, the film was a super flop at the box office.
