The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir is a heartwarming international film in English, starring Tamil star Dhanush and Bérénice Bejo, that opened on Friday. Bejo, of course, is the Argentine-French Oscar-nominated actress from The Artist. The film is remarkable for many reasons (the Tamil dubbed version is Pakkiri). First, it is thrilling to see Dhanush effortlessly crack the Bollywood ceiling in a true-blue international co-production: it is a French-Belgian-Indian co-production, in English, directed by Canadian director Ken Scott. Dhanush holds his own in an international cast. Scott takes a Bollywood approach, pulling off a tightrope act, balancing romance, comedy, action, adventure and magic realism, with a touching message about hope amid illegal refugees, including people of colour, topped off with naach-gaana and a happy ending. It's a gora doing Bollywood, and he succeeds marvellously. And, it is timely, as nations worldwide, including the US, Europe and India, grapple with the issue of refugees.

The film is based on Romain Puértolas's novel The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe. Puértolas, a former French border guard investigating illegal immigration in Paris, who wrote the novel on his mobile phone between shifts, brings the film real heft. It is a film about hope, and destiny be damned, with many laugh-out loud moments. Ajatashatru Lavash Patel (Aja, Dhanush) is a Mumbai street magician who dreams of going to Paris to find his French magician dad. His adventures take him through the UK, Spain, Libya, Italy, during which he helps many fulfil their dreams — including reconnecting a French actress to her lost love, and helping African refugees start a new life. Despite calling for some leaps of faith, the action is so quick-paced, and with a good heart, with winning performances, and Amit Trivedi's infectious score, that you cheerfully go with the flow. Indians are appallingly racist, especially towards people of colour. So, even though the African refugees' stories are not as horrific as the news, when Dhanush helps them make their dream come true, he crucially acknowledges their humanity.