“A long, long time ago…,” the narrative begins with these lines, setting the tone for the rest of the movie. The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is a fairy tale, set in a modern times, and at its centre is a young man struggling through circumstances that seem to pull him deeper into an abyss.
The movie, which is based on the book 'The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an IKEA Wardrobe' by Romain Puertolas, has already won two awards – the Ray of Sunshine Award at the 2018 Norwegian International Film Festival and the Best Comedy Award at the 2019 Barcelona-Sant Jordi International Film Festival. And it certainly lives up to its accolades. However, it is—at best—a feel-good movie, designed to take its audience on an adventure that seems to go on forever.
Dhanush (playing Ajatashatru Lavash Patel), making his debut in Hollywood, has given a remarkable performance. He remains the centre of attention throughout the movie—playing the part of the grieving son, the determined young man and the love-struck fool—each role performed to perfection. Aja – his character – often finds himself having a stroke of luck one second, only to find it leaving him in the next. However, the situations meant to offer comic relief fail to deliver more often than not, with many of the funny scenes feeling forced. With a Bollywood number and a random musical performance thrown in between, one cannot help but wonder if it was incorporated to please Indian audience—after all, the protagonist is a young man brought up in the slums of Mumbai.
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Hearty Singh (playing the younger Aja) manages to capture the attention with his sincere portrayal of the role of the disobedient but loving son. Amruta Sant (Siringh, Aja’s mother) and Berenice Bejo (Nelly) play exactly what they are meant to be – support for the protagonist in his fantastical journey. Erin Moriarty, who plays Aja’s love interest, Marie, is not the pining heroine who waits for her hero to come rescue her. Rather, the movie’s end shows her seeking Aja out on her own, and finding her “happily ever after” in a school in Mumbai. The rest of the cast should also be commended for the realistic depiction of their characters, especially Barkhad Abdi playing the role of a Sudanese immigrant who Aja befriends.
Though the entire adventure starts with Aja flying to Paris to find his estranged father, the main plot is set aside to focus on the many entertaining escapades that the man finds himself in the middle of. However, the movie does end with a beautifully poetic scene, tying up the main plot in a predictable, yet satisfying denouement.
The elements of magical realism in the movie are at times glaringly evident and other times subtle and poignant. Yet it does not seem out of place within the movie’s fairy tale-like setting. The protagonist, who is caught in the middle of trying circumstances, also seems to find himself exactly where he needs to be—whether it is inside the suitcase of a famous actress in Rome or in the middle of a modelled bedroom in a Swedish furniture store (which is very obviously IKEA, but is not mentioned in the movie).
Ken Scott has directed the movie to cater to an audience that yearns for a “happy ending”, much like the stories that one grew up with. The feeling of hope permeates throughout the movie, never once disappearing even in the worst of times. Though the film dabbles into a few serious matters, it always manages to return to what it essentially is—a lively, happy-go-lucky portrayal of a man in search of happiness.
Film: The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
Director: Ken Scott
Cast: Dhanush, Amruta Sant, Erin Moriarty, Berenice Bejo
Rating: 2.5/5
