Samantha Akkineni praises Joaquin Phoenix's Joker, says it is the 'greatest film' she's ever watched

After receiving unprecedented success in the international film festivals circuit, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker hasn’t stopped garnering praises. Samantha Akkineni also took to Instagram to post a still from the film and also called Phoenix a ‘Legend,’ applauding his performance in the titular role. Her caption read, “The Joker is the greatest film I have ever watched and there will only be one Joaquin Phoenix. Legend." [caption id=“attachment_7566111” align=“alignnone” width=“751”] A screengrab of Samantha’s Instagram story | News18[/caption] _(Also read on _Firstpost_: Joker is a film that takes itself too seriously but ultimately amounts to a whole lot of nothing)_ The still posted on Akkineni’s story is of the infamous stairs scene, which feature Arthur dancing on the flight of steps as he descends down and evades cops. The scene encapsulates that Arthur has fully transformed into the Joker and is out on the streets, being chased by the police. Joker, as the standalone film, features a new take on the comic book character’s origin story. It follows the life of failed stand-up comedian Arthur Fleck, whose mental health issues escalate, ultimately leading him to a life of criminality. While the actor has received rave reviews for his portrayal of the iconic Batman villain, the film has been facing flak amid fears that it could trigger violence. The film’s main themes of mental illness and its relationship to violence have caused US theatres and law enforcement to worry about the message Joker is sending. Joker also stars Zazie Beetz, Rober De Niro, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais, and Shea Whigham. Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker has earned $788.1 million, surpassing $782 million of Deadpool and its sequel’s $785 million. The Warner Bros. film released in India on 2 October.