By Rohan Rai
TORONTO: A-Z Films has picked up The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir, a comedy adventure by Quebec director Ken Scott (Starbuck, Delivery Man, Unfinished Business, La Grande Séduction), starring well-known Indian actor Dhanush and featuring Bérénice Béjo (The Artist), Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), Erin Moriarty (Blood Father), and Abel Jafri (Timbuktu).
Rounding out the cast is Gérard Jugnot, Ben Miller, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, Stefano Cassetti.
A co-production between France, India and Belgium, the English-language feature will be distributed in Canada by A-Z films, and released in the US (over 500 screens) by Cradle Walk Pictures, India and Canada on June 21.
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir most recently won the Audience Award for Best Comedy at the Barcelona Sant-Jordi International Film Festival, and was the opening night film at the International Film Festival of South Asia, in Toronto.
The screenplay was written by author Romain Puértolas, and Luc Bossi who also is 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 been adapted from Puértolas’ novel “The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe,” which came out in 2014 and has been translated into 35 languages.
A hustler from Mumbai 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.
“This film is a universal story that is a joy ride for every member of the family,” says A-Z Film’s Zeind. “Director Ken Scott has done a remarkable job bringing together not only many parts of the world, but also mixing in plenty of emotion through laughs, telling tales, and social commentary. I know Canadians will be very taken by The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir and I’m excited to bring this adventure to them.”
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