Mera Naam Joker
Year: 1970
Director: Raj Kapoor
Producer: Raj Kapoor
Cast: Raj Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Dharmendra, Dara Singh, Rishi Kapoor, Kseniya Ryabinkina and Padmini
Music: Shankar Jaikishan
It was Hindi cinema’s second film to have two intervals. Just its runtime of close to five hours made it one of the epics of Indian cinema. Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker had the mammoth investment of six long creative years as well as RK Studios’ fortune. Ironically, it never made the kind of money it should have. Even its critical praise came much later upon subsequent revisits down the years. This tale of a clown who makes people laugh at the cost of his own sorrows, went unsung initially. It had a great ensemble of Raj Kapoor, Simi Grewal, Dharmendra, Rajendra Kapoor, Dara Singh and a young Rishi Kapoor. But that didn’t work in its favour. Raj Kapoor’s most ambitious film remains a case of unrequited success. Kapoor won the Filmfare Best Director Award for his effort.
DID YOU KNOW?
1. Raj Kapoor spent so much of his own fortune that after the film flopped at the box office; Raj came close to be totally bankrupt. So much so that he was said to be thinking of auctioning the famed RK studios in order to pay off the debts.
2. Sharmila Tagore was originally signed for the role of circus trapeze artist to play the second woman in Raju's life. But later this role went to the Russian beauty Kseniya Ryabinkina