BY STAFF REPORTER, TORONTO:
Indian Actor Dhanush stars as the lead in the international film The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir, a film co-produced by France, India and Belgium. Directed by Ken Scott, the film also features Berenice Bejo, Barkhad Abdi, Erin Moriarty and Abel Jafri as well as Gérard Jugnot, Ben Miller, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, and Stefano Cassetti.
Dhanush plays Ajatashatru Lavash Patel, a poor boy who grows up to be a street magician and embarks on an extraordinary voyage across Europe in search of his estranged father. During his trip, he finds love in a Swedish furniture store in Paris, but danger with Somalian migrants ensues and he ends up in London, then more threats follow the young man until he finds himself in Rome, where an unlikely threat shadows the hustler on to a hot-air balloon that rides across the Med.
The film has been adapted from Romain Puértolas’ best-selling novel The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Who Got Caught In An Ikea Wardrobe. The screenplay of the film was written by Puértolas and Luc Bossi who is also producing through his Paris-based company Brio Films. Other co-producers include Vamonos Films, Little Red Car Films, Scope Pictures, M! Capital Ventures, Impact Films and Golden Ratio Films.
The film has won many awards, distributed in Canada by A-Z films and will be in cinemas across Canada on June 21.
Dhanush speaks candidly to his fans and audiences about the film:
The screenplay
It had a fantastic message to send out to the world, combined with irresistible humor. It was also the promise of a journey I hadn’t yet dared to take in my career. You rarely get the chance of being offered a role like that.
The character of Aja (Dhanush’s character in the film)
He is a street magician. He is charming and can get out of sticky situations most of the
time. But he is also a character who most viewers can identify with, because he is truly
philosophical about life – and doesn’t
hesitate to take off on a mind-blowing adventure.
About Director Ken Scott
He is an extremely pleasant director and at the same time, he has a very clear vision
of what he wants. It’s fantastic to be directed by someone who knows how to take
you exactly where he wants you to go, yet allows you to make the character your
own. He encourages real team work; with him, I felt like we were building scenes
together, getting inspiration from both his approach and mine. I learned a lot with
him.
Work methods
I didn’t have time to do readings or rehearsals, but in retrospect, I’m really happy
about that. Because I was able to keep a certain freshness and spontaneity that I
wouldn’t necessarily have had if we had rehearsed.
Partners from all over the world
It was fascinating to work with actors from different countries and cultures. I really appreciated discovering their approaches to the craft of acting, especially since it is such a rare experience.
Bérénice Bejo, co star
Bérénice Béjo is wonderful and a very good acting partner. She is warm, encouraging and cooperative. We had an excellent time together, especially in the dance sequence.
Dancing
It’s an art that is an integral part of Indian culture. I’ve done more than thirty films in India, and in most of them I had dance scenes. Since I’m used to dancing on a regular basis, I didn’t really need to do any preparation for that.
A different world
Probably the most difficult thing for me was adapting to a world so radically different from what I am used to. I had to get accustomed to different work methods and a different shooting style. During the first week, it was pretty tough for me, but after that, I really had a blast!
The EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF THE FAKIR will be in cinemas in Canada June 21. See Official Trailer the film at: https://youtu.be/H1WASu-s4eA
Jaadu Ka Pitaara is now open with second track #Madaari song sung by Vishal Dadlani and Nikhita Gandhi and music by Amit Trivedi from the film #TheExtraordinaryJourneyoftheFakir at: https://youtu.be/-UPuJATvHmc.