‘Joker’: Joaquin Phoenix starrer to release in India on October 2
The wait for the ‘Joker’ film starring Joaquin Phoenix in the lead, just got shorter! Coming in as a welcomed move by all fans, it was announced on social media that the film directed by Todd Philips will now release two days earlier in India, and hit screens on October 2.
The film that tells the origins story of the iconic Batman villain and offers a more grounded approach to the flawed character, has been racking up rave reviews from critics, some who are even confident of it bagging Oscar glory. At the same time, the upcoming release has prompted relatives of victims of Colorado’s 2012 Aurora movie theatre shooting (that left 12 dead and 70 wounded), to pen a letter to the film’s production house -Warner Bros, expressing concerns about the plotline.
According to reports, ‘Joker’ portrays its villain as a “hero” of sorts and allegedly “glorifies” him by portraying him as a madman who goes on a murderous spree after being wronged by society.
In response to the recent controversy, Warner Bros said “neither the fictional character Joker nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind.”It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.”
Warner described gun violence as a “critical issue” and said it had donated to victims and supported gun control legislation.
“At the same time, Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around complex issues,” it added.
Meanwhile, the new release date would mean that the film will lock horns with the upcoming Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff starrer. With all the hype surrounding ‘Joker’, it will be interesting to see how well it performs at the box office and if it can give Bollywood a run for its money.
