There are some movies where the stars are the attraction, or maybe it’s a premise that’s too good to pass up. But for "Persepolis" director Marjane Satrapi, the title alone will ensure that my ticket will be purchased for her next movie.
Variety reports that the filmmaker will direct an adaptation of Romain Puertolas’ best-selling "The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Who Got Trapped In An Ikea Wardrobe." The author and Luc Bossi ("Mood Indigo") have co-written the script that follows a con artist who gets way in over his head in a story that takes him around Europe and beyond. Here’s the book synopsis:
Meet Ajatashatru Oghash Rathod. One day a fakir leaves his small village in India and lands in Paris. A professional con artist, the fakir is on a pilgrimage to IKEA, where he intends to obtain an object he covets above all others: a brand-new bed of nails. Without adequate euros in the pockets of his silk trousers, the fakir is all the same confident that his counterfeit 100-Euro note (printed on one side only) and his usual bag of tricks will suffice. But when a swindled cab driver seeks his murderous revenge, the fakir accidentally embarks on a European tour, fatefully beginning in the wardrobe of the iconic Swedish retailer.
As his journey progresses in the most unpredictable of ways, the fakir finds unlikely friends in even unlikelier places. To his surprise–and to a Bollywood beat–the stirrings of love well up in the heart of our turbaned hero, even as his adventures lead to profound and moving questions of the perils of emigration and the universal desire to seek a better life in an often dangerous world.
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an IKEA Wardrobe [pause for breath] is a hilarious tale that evokes the manic energy of a Marx Brothers romp and calls to mind the incisive social commentary of Candide. Pull up your Poang chair and take an unforgettable tour of Europe propelled by laughter, love and redemption. (Meatballs not included, but highly recommended.) The singularly named Indian star, Dhanush, is taking the lead role, with the English speaking parts being cast now. This probably means cameras will roll soon, and we’ll await further instructions on how all this will be assembled.
