The extraordinary adventures of a radiant Fakir

Cinema Wednesdays - Alexandre Wälti

Dreams extend reality, amplifying it or sometimes softening it. It can also lead to a life goal on which to rely with serenity. Two phrases that speak to the essence of Ken Scott's film. A director who has built a cultural bridge between Bollywood and Hollywood codes. He has created a fable at the crossroads of these two cinemas, with the added bonus of imagination.

A fable. The word perfectly suits the world of The Fakir's Extraordinary Journey. Ajatashatru Oghash Rathod (Dhanush) grew up in a poor district of Bombay, where his mother raised him alone. Together, they nurture the dream of one day living in Paris. When she dies, the young Indian man decides to take her ashes to the City of Light. From that moment on, the adventure really begins.

A journey of the unexpected

From being a simple tourist who gets ripped off by cab driver Gustave (Gérard Jugnot), Aja becomes by chance an undocumented immigrant and finds himself overnight in Spain, sleeping in an airport with other migrants. Aja's only wish is to return to Paris, where he has fallen under the spell of Marie (Erin Moriarty). There's another reason for this much-needed return: to find his mother's ashes. But here he is in Rome, jumping out of the luggage of artist Nelly Marnay (Bérénice Béjo) and finding himself thrown into a luxurious palace. Like a character in a good novel, Aja traverses the world's diverse human realities.

How does one embark on Aja's extraordinary journey? He tells it to three children who are threatened with imprisonment in India for repeated thefts. This allows for constant leaps between reality and fable, between the law of the street and that of the imagination. Listening to the adventures of wardrobes, hot-air balloons and pirates, the three children are at first reluctant, as is the guard who watches over them. But storyteller Aja's art suddenly makes them less aggressive and more attentive, dreamers above all. The same effect applies to the viewer. They never know whether Aja's story is real or just a magician of words.

A fantastic story in tune with the times

In short, Ken Scott's film is the result of a succession of unforeseen events. There's no time for boredom, quite the contrary. One scene follows another, and the camera follows the characters as if in a chase against time. Two dance scenes in particular stand out, reminding us that The Fakir's extraordinary journey is also a bridge between Indian and Anglo-Saxon cinema. Colors and glitter explode everywhere, without abuse, even in the saddest passages. As if to thumb one's nose at the prevailing gloom. Simply luminous cinema.

The film's main interest lies in the choice of the main character's perspective and the jovial atmosphere in which it deals with a serious subject: migration. Without ever lacking in dignity or modesty. Aja is the most naive man in the world. He observes what's going on around him and experiences what happens to him with touching purity. He ventures out wherever he pleases, making the best of any situation with the sole aim of helping his fellow man. Making other people's dreams come true. A comic scenario for a tragic film.

Write to the author : alexandre.waelti@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Impuls Pictures