Kamal Haasan Did It First: Joaquin Phoenix's Joker 2 Trailer Sparks Comparisons With Aalavandhan

The official teaser trailer for Todd Phillips' Joker 2: Folie a Deux, was released on April 10. Glimpses of Joaquin Phoenix's return as Arthur Fleck - alias Joker, has been been largely met with a positive response. An interesting take on the trailer however, is a section of the internet drawing comparisons between the Phoenix's parting shot and a 2001 film starring Kamal Haasan.

Kamal Haasan did it first in Aalavandhan

The official Instagram handle of IMDb India shared a short split video montage, carrying the shots in question, from Kamal Haasan's Aalavandhan and Joaquin Phoenix's Joker 2. The caption to the post read, "Watching Joker: Folie à Deux’s teaser reminded us of @ikamalhaasan’s performance in Aalavandhan 23 years ago". For those not clued in, the parting shot of the Joker 2 trailer sees Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn carve a smile onto glass with her red lipstick. A perplexed Arthur (Phoenix's character) then aligns his face with it, mimicking the smile.

The shot is rather similar in its approach to Kamal Haasan's 2001 action thriller Aalavandhan, directed by Suresh Krissna. A shot from the film shows a morose Kamal Haasan align his face with a bloody frown on the mirror in front of him. IMDb's post, which features the shots side by side, reveal the surprising similarity in the approach.

Joker 2: Folie a Deux will take Arthur Fleck's story forward

Joker 2: Folie a Deux will follow Arthur Fleck's journey in prison and beyond - a trajectory that will also feature a romance with Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn. As per a recent Variety report, the film is set to feature as many as 15 songs, with some of them being revamped versions of classic hits. Addressing the same at CinemaCon, director Todd Phillips said, "We never really talked about it like that, but I like to say it’s a film where music is an essential element...Arthur’s weird and aloof and all these things, but he has music in him. He has a grace to him...I think it’ll make sense when you see it".

Joker 2 is set to release on October 4.