Raj KapoorMera Naam Joker’s passion project has long been remembered not only for its ambition but also for the financial turmoil it caused. The film flopped at the box office after its release in 1970, and the legendary filmmaker was saddled with heavy debts and was even forced to mortgage RK Pictures to pay off creditors. Raj Kapoor’s financial woes began early, during the production of the film, when he allegedly mortgaged his wife Krishna Kapoor’s gold bracelet to ensure the project was completed, according to his nephew Monty Premnath.Late actor Premnath’s son Monty looks back at the making of the iconic film. He revealed that the actor and film producer Manoj KumarHe has assisted in several projects and he thought the Mera Naam Joker was too long and suggested trimming it. The film was released in two installments and has a running time of over four hours.Monty recalled the conversation in an interview with Vicky Rawani, “Manoj Kumar told Raj Kapoor, ‘Let me edit your second and third part’. He found it very long,” before adding, “Kapur wanted to make Chapter 4 with my father (Premnath) and Sharmila Tagore because he was so passionate, he was so involved in it.According to Monty, Raj Kapoor firmly rejected the suggestion. “Raj Kapoor told Manoj Kumar, ‘This is my product. I will not let you touch my product. Whatever is done, this is what I believe in,'” he said. According to reports, when Manoj pointed out that a huge amount of money had been invested in the film, Raj replied unwaveringly: “So what? I earned all this because of films and I invested all the money in my films.”Monty said the filmmaker was willing to sacrifice everything for his vision. “Uncle Raj even mortgaged his wife Krishna’s gold bangles to shoot for the film,” he said, adding that Raj Kapoor’s commitment reminded him of Manoj Kumar, who also sold several of his properties to complete Kranti.Manoj Kumar’s son Kunal Goswami, who had earlier shared a similar story, recalled a discussion between the two filmmakers regarding the editing of the film. “There were some conversations between Raj Saab and Dad. Dad told him that you allow me to edit the second half of the film so that we can change the shape of the film. But I don’t know if that happened or didn’t happen. Dad told me that this discussion was about editing, not direction.“In an earlier interview with Mumbai Mirror, Manoj Kumar also revealed that he helped revise a story sequence in the film but chose not to seek recognition for his contribution. He also said that he paid for the travel and accommodation expenses during the filming.“The first story in this three-tiered film was re-created by me, but I didn’t do it for fame, fame or money. I paid for the travel and hotel accommodation and refused to take credit for the screenplay. Mera Naam Joker is my tribute to Karmayogi Raj Kapoor. In Urdu, ‘awara’ means ‘khushboo’, the feeling that fills us even today” means ‘khushboo’, the feeling that fills us even today.
