Luck By Chance Review
iView Author: Avinash Singh (India) Email: avinash.s21 [at] gmail [dot] com
Luck By Chance Review
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen Sharma, Isha Sherwani, Dimple Kapadia, Rishi Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Kapoor, Aly Khan, Anuj Mathur & Extended Guest Appearance by Hrithik Roshan along with cameos by many stars.
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Ritesh Sidhwani & Farhan Akhtar
Rating: 4/5
“Luck by Chance by Zoya is by far the best debut film of the last decade by any filmmaker including Dil Chahta Hai. After the film I walked up to farhan and told him that,”.- Anurag Kashyap on his blog. My response to this would be in the end however, let’s get started with the review first.
How often have we seen Hindi movies as a kid or may be at whatever age, you expressed the desire to get into the Hindi Film industry in whatever capacity and you were warned that its a big bad world out there. The film is a dark but entertaining piece of work showing Bollywood… oops!! Hindi Film Industry as Neenaji said.
The movie is a true insight and shows the real picture of the most selfish and cruel workplace in the world.
People could have walked into the auditoriums with various expectations about this movie.
a. Farhan Akhtars second movie post ROCK ON!!
b. Ensemble cast of stars and actors in one movie.
c. Hrithik Roshan
d. Zoya Akhtar, the elder sister of Farhan Akhtar making her directorial debut.
e. Another cult movie by makers of Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, Don, Rock On!!
Anyone who walked in with these expectations would walk out with extreme reactions for sure.
As a policy, I would never share the story of the movie in my reviews as that’s not what review should be all about. But I would definitely like to put some light on a few scenes, which may explain people why I loved this movie so much.
Prior to this movie there have been numerous movies made on Hindi Film Industry viz. Pyaasa, Guddi, Rangeela, Censor, Om Shanti Om, Khoya Khoya Chand etc. This movie is stands out in terms of the complex story and characters it has. Add to it the expectation which the movie had created. It’s not an easy task for a first timer to handle all this in the very first movie itself. The direction of this movie is a brilliant one. It’s the most matured way of directing something so complex – a story of a few struggling actors whose careers meet with different fates in the end, a story of many established people of how they have reached where they are, a love story which is shown without getting mushy, a story of an underdog reaching to towering success and yet he is not a hero or an idol, a story of confidence, a story of betrayals and a story of BOLLYWOOD.
I felt the direction was brilliant everywhere, whether it was acting school, whether it was a big producer making just regular masala movies, a superstar who now wants to get rids of his godfather for a Karan Johar movie, the jealousy between friends who are struggling in the same industry, the corporate trying to give producers gyaan of organization culture, the ageing star and her daughters relationship, the walk-in appearances of stars or my favourite one being the auditions and the climax. The direction is fantastic along with the story, screenplay and dialogues.
Not that this movie is a masterpiece and it doesn’t have its share of flaws. It does have couple of them, like the movie does get slow in second half, the climax could not be digested by the average cinegoer and the music could have been much much much better than this. I would say the soundtrack is experimental but however apart from Baawre, Ye Hawaein and Sapno se bhare naina other tracks are just functional, the sound editing could have been better as there are couple of dialogues which are not really clear. But, all this is overcome by attention to minute details by Zoya- the best one being the worn and torn sofa on which Konkona and Farhan are sitting. It makes it so real that a struggler cannot have a brand new sofa, she can just have a 1 room kitchen flat which doesn’t even have a fridge. Good work on that. Also to the directors credit again who has handled a couple of scenes with such finesse that if any other director would have done it, the result could have been gaudy and vulgar. Cinematography is superb. Background score at times was jarring.
Coming to the highlight of the movie- the performances.
Konkona Sen Sharma, may not be a beautiful actress or a regular heroine material but one thing about her which is conveyed in the movie very aptly is that she can act, and boy!! she acts naturally. Watch out for the scene in which she is with the producer who has used her but she cannot tell this to the Producers wife as she is not sure what to do!! A brilliant scene, becoz this is what happens to the girls who are thrown in on the casting couch and they don’t know whether should they complain, hit the limelight for a while and then be completely forgotten or should just keep quiet and live with whatever they have as they are at the point of no return. Konkona, a fantastic job done. This role was initially to be done by Tabu and I am sure even an actress like Tabu wouldnt be able to do it better than her. Hats off!!
Isha Sherwani walks through her role quite naturally. Sanjay Kapoor is OK just because he cannot get the Anil Kapoor out of him but somehow to the brilliance of the director this has been used to his advantage. He is simply superb in the scene where he comes out and says “Jabalpur mein tickets ke liye chakoo chal gaye aur murder ho gaya” with a smile on his face and the reaction to this being from Rishi Kapoor “Cheers to that”. 2 people whom you actually want to stand up and applaud are Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. They are simply outstanding. Probably this could be Rishi Kapoor’s best ever performance till date. Dimple Kapadia brings the ooomph, the bitchiness and the vulnerability all to her character with getting the timing right everywhere. Anuj Mathur as a jealous friend carrying the same expression is very effective. Hrithik has acted wonderfully well as Zafar Khan, the insecure and confused superstar. Watch him in the scene where he changes colons like a chameleon and responds “Gadha hai Saala”. Aly Khan is good. Juhi Chawla is the only miscast in the movie which otherwise is an excellently casted film, she looked to me someone who was not required for the role.
There are numerous walk-in appearances by stars and none of them you feel is not required. There is Aamir, Abhishek, Akshaye, John, Kareena, Vivek Oberoi, Ranbir Kapoor and SRK. to me the most effective were Abhishek, Akshaye and SRK, the last being purely for the reason as he inaugurates the touching climax and his lines were meaningful for the movie.
Of other appearances Saurabh Shukla and Anurag Kashyap are simply outstanding. specially Anurag who keeps audience in splits and everyone in the auditorium could not hold themselves but to clap whenever he appeared.
I always preserve my best words for the last. And this one is for Farhan Akhtar. Let me tell you one thing that Farhan Akhtar is not a brilliant or outstanding actor to hit Indian Cinema screens. He is a Genius. Those who would watch this movie would agree with me that there is not a variety of expressions which he brings to his performance. The one who have seen him in Oye!! its Friday would notice that his expressions are the same and nothing different. But he is a Genius because he knows where he needs to use them and to what effect. He is an actor who is not a method actor but a responsive one. A couple of scenes where he does a mind-blowing job are the ones- when he has argument with his friend and the following scene where he is frustrated and talks to Konkona. Another one being his auditions and the jealousy he reflects through his expressions. He brings his charm in the screen test and premiere party scene. He makes you laugh when he dances on Bachna Ae Haseeno and unbelievably he matches Hrithik every step in his version of Baawre (though a very small portion of it you see). Farhan you are a Genius. If Rock On was any hint, then thru this movie – Farhan the actor has arrived guys and he is here to stay!! I would like to say nobody and I repeat nobody would have done the character Farhan has done with such ease and effectiveness. The movie truly belongs to him. His is the most complex character and he has done full justice to it. Kudos to Farhan, I am sure Abhay Deol and you are the torch bearers of new age cinema. Looking forward for your next release and must say “This movie chose you and what you would do now will be chosen by you”.
Now for one thing the producers of the movie need a special mention and thats something -EXCEL Entertainment needs to be lauded for. The use of casting director to the highest effect. All of the movies done by Excel Entertainment have a casting director who has done everything right. Seldom have they gone wrong. Maybe the casting director was always in place for every movie made in Bollywood, but for all the movies I have seen of Excel Entertainment, it has a prominent display of the casting director in the credits. Something which Hollywood effectively does and Bollywood needs.
So the final verdict on the movie and the response to the statement by Mr. Kashyap, I wouldn’t rate this movie as the finest debut by any director for the decade. For me this place would always be for Neeraj Pandey for A Wednesday , Rajkumar Gupta for Aamir, Imtiaz Ali for Socha na Tha and even for you with your unreleased Paanch or released Black Friday (whichever people may call first) and a few more. But I would say that Zoya Akhtar has done the most matured debut as a director by handling the most complex story, characters and biggest cast. So please forgive me for not agreeing this to be the best movie of the decade by a debutant director.
But Zoya, I shall wait for your next….’ Kismat Talkies’ is it?? …. Just an advise on casting- Luck by Chance you have a powerhouse of talent in your family don’t bother to look outside.
Tags: aamir khan, Aly Khan, Anuj Mathur, Dimple Kapadia, Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Isha Sherwani, Javed Akhtar, Juhi Chawla, konkona sen sharma, Luck By Chance Review, Rishi Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Great movie. What a talented family.hats of to the makers.. hail to the new wave cinema. I was thinking about the combo of Farhan and Abhay with direction either by Zoya or Anurag under the banner of Excel(lent) Entertainment or Powerhouse UTV..very interesting combo. just a thought
fair review bro. too each his own.
Defintely Vipin, sounds a very good idea. But casting them together could not be very easy. I think Excel Entertainment can do this as Abhay has worked for them in Honeymoon. I wouldnt mind to see Abhay acting for Farhan. Somehow, the real film maker in Farhan has not yet been seen on celluloid. I surely hope to see the combination of Anurag, Abhay, Farhan, Vinay, Ranvir in one movie.
I absolutely loved a film.Everything about it…the writing,direction,performances,dialogues ,detailing… everything about the movie was fantastic, although i too would disagree with Mr Kashyap when he says that its the best directorial debut till date.
Some might find it a tad too long but it kept me engrossed right from the start to the finish.
Farhan has moved strides forward as an actor since Rock On! Konkana is brilliant as usual. In fact, one cannot find a single performance thats below ‘very good’. Do not miss it..
A very good review friend… I reckon upon reading this review I am convinced that I definitely want to watch this movie. Thanks for helping me decide. Keep it up? By the way, any take on Victory?
Avinash “Kagaz ke phool” was based on film industry not “Pyasa”,..lots of expectations from dis movie, booked my ticket for evng show.
Thanks Rajeev, apologies for the mistake.
it is the movies for young generation waiting offside of suiting to get entry into bollywood movies at their own..
not bing The God Father…
i liked the movie too much it is really a real world movie which shows the ground reality …
i think all the actors have done their job too good as per their role in the movie …
its really fantastic …. too see a good movie after much of time!!
AMAZING..EXCELLENT…JABARJAST HIT!!
“Just an advise on casting- Luck by Chance you have a powerhouse of talent in your family don’t bother to look outside.”
Lol, so true.
I would say, Farhan’s was the most entertaining debut ever, and Zoya’s the best debut ever. In terms of sheer cinematic merit, this is the best that any debutante touched upon. And that includes Black friday, includes A Wednesday (Which was mediocre at best and is terribly overrated like Aamir) and anything.
Very well written review. And btw, I was itching to see the movie, having re-seen Rock On yday, for 4th time (twice in theater, twice on DVD), I was soo lookin fwd to the offering of two junior Akhtars. I opened PFC at 10:30pm, and just saw first line of your review. I had to go for it. Looked for the nerest theater (in San Francisco bay area) and landed up at a 11pm show.
I will tell you “darling” :-) – it was wirth every minute. Having said that, its a moviemaker’s delight, to watch realism. To watch a piece of his/her good, bad and ugly life on big screen. Or people like PFC readers, who can go beyond the gloss of the movies, to appreciate the effort behind (by that, I encourage EVERY PFC readers to go watch this movie). So did I like it. Yeah – 100%. Are everyone going to like it. No – 100%. This is too realism for junta to appreciate. Think from their angle – is it comedy? serious? action? tragedy? drama? – Give these choice to anyone, and they will look for the none of the above option.
Myself, being a part-time musician, can vouch that Rock On was the love of every musician – they could see part of their life on big screen. So can people who are assoc with any aspect of film making. But general junta will just miss the point!
And btw, Anurag Kashyap, I think, has the best lines in the movie.
Farhan Akhtar rules. My holding to Aamir Khan as the method actor was smashed after experiencing Ghajini (yuck!!) – thank God, Farhan Akhtar soon came to rescue!
Dear BPP,
I completly agree with you. Its really sad for Indian cinema that people who complain about SRK not being experimental and not doing any meaningful cinema, flop a wonderful and perhaps the best patriotic movie I have ever seen ‘Swades’. its really sad that a regressive movie like Ghajini wents on to become the biggest blockbuster collecting 225 crores gross and movies like Rock on!!, A wednesday, Aamir, Mumbai meri Jaan are mere B+ or average to commission earners. On one hand people talk about new age cinema and on the other make regular masala fares the grossers. Not that I am against masala movies, they are the bread and butter of Bollywood. But picture this situation where are we when we call Ghajini a masterpiece and also critics giving it 4 to 5 star ratings. The problem I sincerly feel is that we as a country are indeed Hypocrites when it comes to any political situation or Cinema as well. Slumdog Millionaire is being criticized because we are not ready to face the fact that a Mumbai like this does exist. Anurag and Rajkumar Gupta beautifully captured it in their movie. No doubt even this has not been accepted.
Why do we shy away from the reality?? Why are we not ready to accept that though a part of India is developing but the majority still remains under developed?? Thats what I feel is the problem with many of us. We cannot digest truth in brutal way. We want a sugar coated statement in a beautiful plate of myth.
I know my words sound very aggressive. But I think this is a truth which we need to face.
Would like to know what everyone thinks about it.
P.S. : Deelip thanks for your appreciation. I truly feel this about Akhtars from the bottom of my heart.
A well made, well directed movie…Farhan and Konkona share great onscreen chemistry and the roles “Vikram” and “Sona” are tailor-made for both of them. The music is also very good and songs are well placed in the movie.
Very well drafted review Mr. Singh.
Seems you have been in this writing business for quite a while and unlike many others, know what you are writing. Believe you me sir, after reading this review I so want to watch LBC. Not a big follower of these reviews but would want to compare the movie with your comments, if you don’t mind.
Keep Writing pal.
ALL THE BEST!