Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! Reviews from readers
iViews from Gurudev Prasad, Subhasish Chakraborty, Arthi V
iView Author: Gurudev Prasad (Bangalore, India)
Email: withheld
If there has been one film that I have been anticipating for the longest time- it has to be ‘Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye (OLLO)’. In fact I rate Khosla Ka Ghosla as the second best bollywood film I have seen in last five-six years (the first has to be ‘Maqbool’- but I will save it for another post).
What an impressive debut KKG was- it was heartening to see such a simple tale of underdogs- with characters etched out so well- that you almost feel that you know them from before. Indeed, by end of the movie, I knew the Khosla family so well that even in any other situation – I could imagine- exactly how they would react.
When you raise the bar so high- in your first movie itself, it’s quite a task to stand up to the huge expectations with a worthy follow up. While a few directors have done it successfully, many have disappointed us as well.
So did Dibakar disappoint me?
Not at all. Actually, I came out quite impressed from of the hall.
OLLO- is a brilliant second movie from a very talented director. What impressed me more is the fact that Dibakar has picked up a rather complex story this time as compared to simplistic one before. There are lots of layers in the story and there is an amazing sense of maturity that marks the narration.
A single story can have many interpretations, and what I am about to write is my take out from the movie- which. It is a very personalized account of how I comprehend the movie.
The movie follows the growth of Lucky from his teens to thirties and his journey from innocence to notoriety-all this with the back drop of Delhi (Guys lets accept it- nobody does Delhi better than Dibakar)
The initial scenes clearly establish Lucky’s strained relationship with his father and his uneasiness with the other woman in the house (father’s keep).
Also, it gives you a glimpse into Lucky’s world of aimless friends and their collective dreams and aspirations. Their fascination for good things in life (cars, chicks, etc) is obvious but what sets Lucky apart from his group is his self belief- and that is brilliantly captured in this one line Lucky keeps saying through out the film- “Kyon main kar nahi sakta?”
I also thought that his becoming a ‘Mona’ sardar symbolizes his giving up on social conformity.
Lucky is an incorrigible thief- it’s almost like he has a kind of compulsive disorder to steal- and sometimes through the things that he steals- you get a hint of his feelings at that point in time- his deprivation and loneliness-he steals a greeting card (reminiscing his first love), family photograph (His longing ness for a family), a king size teddy (the child within).
But the movie is not about stealing- it is about Lucky’s emotional vulnerability, his pining for love- the only thing he can’t steal. All the people who befriend him have a selfish motive (except his girlfriend, but again I am not sure- because there is a scene where she asks him to keep the money on the fridge). His father, surrogate father and the business partner (all three played brilliantly by Paresh Rawal) are the three fatherly figures who inflict him the maximum pain.
These are the few scenes which stand apart for me- teenage Lucky’s first encounter with a neighborhood girl in the greeting cards shop and subsequently their first date in a restaurant, Lucky asking Dolly what she wants to eat in a night club, his first date with Sonal and her reaction to school girls in short skirts, Dr. Handa’s insights on the male dog and the lady dog, the conversation between Sonal and Lucky’s bhabi.
There are some nice touches which were like master strokes- The kid sardar’s air fighting sequence when Luck’s father is chasing Lucky out of the house for demanding a new scooter, the hanging wires, air conditioners and the election posters in the background when Lucky is taking the girl on a motor bike ride, the zebra striped interiors of the black Mercedes that Lucky steals for Goga Bhai., Sonal’s pink cybershot, a shot of Lucky’s bare feet while he is escaping on a stolen Enfield from the police station.
I also quite liked the scene in which Lucky does these car stunts with Sonal- the muted closed ups worked very well for me.
All performances are good, but these guys deserve a special mention- the sardar who played Lucky’s childhood part, Lucky’s partner in crime- Bengali and Dolly.
Ofcourse Paresh Rawal is magnificent in all three avatars. Also, Neetu Chandra also packs a poised performance and renders an understated composure to her character
One guy who carries the film on his shoulders and deserves a standing ovation is Abhay Deol- the ease and subtlety with which he plays Lucky is mind blowing. I can’t stop myself from diverting from the topic here to have a look at the movies that Abhay has done so far- Socha Na Tha, Ek chaalis, Manorama Six feet under, Honeymoon travels and now OLLO (upcoming Dev D)- what a range- no wonder he has become the poster boy of the new age- popular- niche bollywood cinema.
The music is well researched and does a great job in enhancing the narrative- it perfectly compliments the mood of the movie.
It’s refreshing to see Delhi as a backdrop- with each of its locality having a distinctive character and how well Dibakar captures it.
Finally, what looks like a simple funny movie is work of a painstaking research and original thinking and I guess that’s the way forward for Indian cinema.
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iView Author: Subhasish Chakraborty (Bangalore, India)
Email: subhasish.schakraborty [at] gmail [dot] com
Oye Lucky Lucky Oye – The Best Indian movie in a long time
I watched OLLO in Inox Bangalore. It was a morning show, in Inox’s biggest screen.
The theater was full in the beginning and so it was in the end. For the first time in a long time, I saw people actually stand up and clap at the end of the movie. I couldn’t clap my hands. I was just overcome with overwhelming emotions. OLLO is the best movie I watched in quite some time. It might be a mainstream bollywood flick, but in terms of the sheer movie experience, the depth and the layering, it’s a landmark atempt.
I simply couldn’t remotely expect it to be so good. Dibakar Banerjee has outdone himself. If you loved Khosla Kaa Ghoslaa, OLLO will just blow Your mind away.
One reason why I have not been a fan of Bombay cinema is because most of it is just plastic. Cosmetic sets, unreal situations, feelings that You can’t relate to. Enter OLLO and it’s a paradigm shift. The lower middle class aspirations, the basic needs; Teen age infatuation and teen age bike dreams. Oye Lucky Lucky Oye takes You to the roots, to the essence of existence. Hear Abhay Deol say, “Kyun, Main nahi Karsakta ?”
Oye Lucky Lucky Oye reminds You of Your own former self. Of the times when You had a dream. When cars were royalty and a girl touched Your heart strings.
Dibakar has shown life in India as it is. It is such a real and multilayered story, it’s realism at its eloquent best. And yet the movie stays true to the fundamental premise of entertainment. Had I not watched this movie, I wouldn’t have known that a movie which is so entertaining could be so profound also.
Every thing is just perfect about the movie. Songs are typical Dibakar’s style, they take the movie forward and add that zing that you saw in KKG also. Acting is top class and effortless. The acting is just so damn real. Abhay Deol is here to stay. He’s a revelation in the movie. Nitu Chandra’s just peerless. And the young Lucky, Manjot Singh, is just as cute as his teenage lady love. Paresh Rawal is in his usual form. What can You say about him, he’s like Tendulkar, has his own benchmark. The entire cast of the supporting actor/actresses are just perfect. One can’t overstate how good they were.
With Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Dibakar Banerjee goes into a different realm altogether. His film making has attained unmatched height. He has created and consolidated a signature style, while all throughout he has increased the depth manifold. KKG showed how urban love really is and Oye Lucky Lucky Oye shows how middle class aspirations and love really are. For all the understated brilliance, his basic understanding of human emotions is matchless in Bollywood. I want to see what happens when our judges sit together to decide which movie they send to Oscars. Do they acknowledge a power house possibility. Does Indian cinema talk international language for the first time.
I left Oye Lucky Lucky Oye with lasting memories. Impressions in the mind which won’t be lost in a hurry. There are some moments in this movie which are pure cinematic magic. The tender teen age love, the tender teen age dreams and aspirations, of wanting to belong, parental infidelity, flashes of pedophilia, an ethereal dialogue between Lucky and Sonal shot in blue, the floating words in that scene, the hurt of disrespect, one’s search for one’s own and love. Oye Lucky is just life.
Last I felt so fondly about a movie was Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi. Good things can never be compared but You can atleast remember them together in your mind and feel the warmth. Both these films are as different from each other as chalk and cheese. But there is one resonance, one basic uniting bind. Once the credits roll, the movie gets over, You just stand up, see people around You clap, You just choke and wish, You could just thank the makers.
Oye Lucky Lucky Oye is a film we must all see, for it is one which comes once in years. Here’s hoping that Lucky lives.
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iView Author: Arthi V (Delhi, India)
Email: vasudevan.arthi [at] gmail [dot] com
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
The beginning of the film told me what the end would be. The movie’s end? No. The main character, Lucky Singh’s end? Hmmm, somewhat. But it did not bother me at all. I guess it didn’t bother writer-director Dibakar Banerjee too. Afterall, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! is said to inspired by real events.
The protagonist of the film, Lucky Singh too wasn’t uptight about the eventuality of his actions. He knew what would ultimately happen. But he still goes on. For completely different reasons though. It is this aspect that OLLO focuses on.
These days, there is so much coverage about films before their release that it becomes quite a task to sustain the interest or take the story much beyond what the viewer already knows while watching the film. I knew the story, the characters and the finale seemed obvious. It was believed to be humorous. Well, coming from the stable of the maker of Khosla Ka Ghosla, this isn’t surprising. Until I saw the film. I could not have been more wrong. It is of the more serious Hindi films that I have seen in recent times.
Lucky Singh (played by Abhay Deol) is a thief. A thief who steals just about anything. A thief who doesn’t wait for darkness to do so. A thief who isn’t afraid that someone may sight him while he is in the act. Infact he seems to enjoy such sticky situations and superbly manages to find his way out of them, with the booty of course.
I’m not sure if I would have believed this modus-operandi worked if this was purely fictional. It has happened and hence I was able attune my thinking and find some element of reality and doability in the manner in which Lucky steals.
What was bothering me was why is Lucky doing this? There is more to just stealing things and stealing and caring a damn about being caught. Stealing anything and everything that fancies him at that point then
And answers I did get, but wasn’t spoon-fed. I had to understand the ‘whys’ by being offered Lucky’s childhood experiences. It is one thing when the loud, irresponsible and boisterous father (Paresh Rawal) disowns his son and leaves him to fend for himself. It is another story when such a father will get his mistress home to live with him, cater to his sons’ basic and necessary needs depending on his whether he feels like it.
Whatever the scenario, the chances of the child going astray is strong and that is exactly what happens to Lucky. 15 year old Lucky (played by Manjot Singh) asks his father for some pocket money. Gets abuses and thrashings in return. Requests for a scooter. Same thing again. And it continues. Till he finds a way out to live a life he the way he wants to. Not beg, may be borrow, regularly steal. Once a habit, forever an addict.
Growing up to be a true pro in this, Lucky, with the help of his childhood friend Bangali (Manu Rishi), is introduced to a black marketeer Jogi (Paresh Rawal’s second role) to whom he sells his stolen goods. On the front-end, Jogi has a band that performs at various local dos in Delhi. He exploits Lucky, knowing very well that Lucky will stick on. Lucky, even though left home, again ends up working for one who resembles his father behaviour wise.
Until one night out when the police nab him and Bangali. Escape. Move on to Bombay and end up meeting the opportunistic Dr Handa, a veterinarian (Paresh Rawal’s third role) and his scheming wife (Archana Puran Singh aptly cast here). Lucky meets his father figure again for the third time.
Forever on the run, forever meeting patrons who end up being like his father, Lucky yearns for the home that he never had. I realized this not by watching Lucky moping about home or family. The affection he shows for his brother when he meets him by chance tells all. He goes home to make peace but is shunned by all for the fear that he may bring them a bad name. None of them even attempt to understand Lucky’s psyche. May be the mother could have but she is never to be seen. I didn’t get this part of the story.
His romantic interest Sonal (Neetu Chandra) is the one person who he is able to relate to. Introduced through her sister who is in Jogi’s band, she despises his vocation yet falls for him because of his honesty. I thought may be she can understand why he does what he does. She herself comes from a family where the parents depend on Lucky to get them stuff for the home and a sister who’s a dancer in Jogi’s band (Richa Chadda) and with whom she barely had a cordial relation.
I guess only both of them could look at the other just the way they truly are.
The track that baffled me though was how come her sister was so crude while Sonal was normal collegiate. It somehow didn’t seem fluent. May be this angle could have been explored further.
What worked for me big time is that there is nothing pretentious about OLLO. The roles were well- written no doubt, but what brought the story alive is the backdrop of Delhi where this takes place. The city is not a separate character here but it kind of integrates itself with the people and makes the whole scenario look superbly authentic.
Same goes for the dialogues (Was surprised to find Manu Rishi’s aka Bangali’s name in the credits for dialogues. He sure is talented. I don’t think this is a namesake). They seem so simple and natural. Genuinely funny at times. For us; not for the characters. That’s how life is.
The director has wonderfully brought the city alive, just so designed for the narrative. Very surprised by this film after the funny Khosla Ka Ghosla. That film had an element of disbelief in it and hence I could take the story in good filmy humour even though all the moments were genuine. But with OLLO I found myself really thinking that the conflicts are so real. It was funny but as said it arose from people’s mannerisms. The only deliberate attempt to relieve the tension was the music and songs. It is lively and the actually lifted the scene to another level. Unfortunately I couldn’t completely understand the lyrics that were in hardcore Punjabi but nevertheless the score is unique and fitting.
I am not able to pull out just Abhay Deol and Paresh Rawal for their superb performances because all were so aptly cast that each complemented the other.
Manu Rishi as Bangali. The friend who turns foe then turns friend then….Very well done.
Richa as the crude-mouthed sister. I liked the scene with Abhay in the pub; the one in her house. Super.
Neetu Chandra with her expressive eyes, slight smile and that slightly serrated voice.
The young teenager in the greeting card store whom 15 yr old Lucky falls for. She was good.
All the others whose names unfortunately I do not know yet but whose mere presence in a particular scene was enough to understand that they had to be there.
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! – Lucky Singh’s story; Lucky, who longed for love and family but was very unlucky never to have got one.
Tags: Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Review
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
Super.. subhasis’s review says exactly what i feel.. the best film in a long time..
Thanks Anurag. One personal indulgence for myself.
You know Anurag, I first landed up in PFC after I saw No Smoking. I just wanted to Thank You but didn’t know where I could. And then, I landed here.
A belated Thnak You to You in case You read this.
A whole lot of layers to be unfolded in successive viewings..it is that good…Dibakar..Salut!
** spoilers ahead **
I’ve watched the movie a couple of times now (unfortunately, not at a theater but I swear I would’ve if I could’ve). I have a few questions:
1. Why is Sonal wearing the mangalsutra in that scene with Lucky, his brother and bhabhi? And what does she ask “Padhne ka time mil jaata hai?” after Sonal says she’s doing Commerce?
2. What does Lucky mean by “Main bhi toh wahi keh raha hoon” when Gogi warns him “Jo ek baar hua hai woh phir ho sakta hai.”? What does Gogi mean? Does Lucky mean he can escape again if he’s caught?
3. Why does Lucky still take the help of Bangali even after he betrays him during Handa’s restaurant fiasco? Does he still trust him inspite of the betrayal?
I know, I know I should be figuring it out for myself. But I just find discussing it more fun. I knew after watching it the first time that there’s something more to OLLO than meets the eye. There were so many little things I noticed during my second viewing. Lucky, during his first encounter with Gogi, pulling up a chair for himself, only for Gogi to put his legs up on it. It struck me how so many characters Lucky ko kehte hain “apni aukaad mein reh”. So many more.
Pratik, let me attempt to answer:
1. Sonal is wearing a mangalsutra to avoid just the kind of uncomfortable questions that Lucky’s bhabhi asks her. She’s not married to Lucky and yet going on a vacation with him. Lucky’s bhabhi’s being bitchy
She’s basically implying that Sonal would be too busy doing hanky-panky with Lucky to focus on her studies.
2. Because Gogi bhai was responsible for putting Lucky and Bangali in prison the first time. That’s when Lucky realizes he cannot trust Gogi bhai. So he implies that Gogi bhai can tip off the police again.
3. Lucky and Bangali had been together forever. In an imperfect world, where so many are out to get you, you choose the lesser evil.
Ha ha ha – yes the “aukaat” business. Here Lucky had more money than Sonal’s family, but no social respectability. That’s what “aukaat” refers to.
Gurudev and Subhashish, loved your reviews. You make all the points that really stood out for me about the film. I was laughing throughout the film, but now that I reflect on it in retrospect, it was such a subtlely nuanced dark comedy.
Thanks Dewi- glad you liked the review. What I gather from your comment (answer to Pratik) is that you have cracked the movie really well
@Dewi
Thanks for those comments. I kinda had ‘hanky-panky’ in my mind when I first saw the Sonal-bhabhi scene but I ignored it since it felt like there was something more to it. The second time I watched it with a couple of friends, and one of them laughed out loud when the bhabhi says the dialogue. So I was like “could it really be hanky-panky?”
But what does Lucky mean when he says “Main bhi toh wahi keh raha hoon” in that last scene with Gogi.
That scene with Lucky, Sonal, Dolly and his husband at the dining table is also great. Log bhi kaise kaise rang badalte hain …
It is always delight to read you Subhasish.
Pratik,
let me also try to attempt to answer:
- lucky’s girlfriend wore the mangalsutra maybe because lucky whacked it on one of his regular adventurous night outs, and gifted it to her – she liked it/ wore it before going out on vacation for his sentiments.
- the bhabi knew/ had heard of what lucky was – a conman, and a pretty successful one at that, but she didn’t have to know she was his love – so she could have assumed she was a keep he took along on a vacation – hence the question? she prolly thought she was a lowlife who’d hang around with a conman for his money – hence the sarcastic question/ comment?
- jo ek baar hua woh dubara ho sakta hai – i think lucky was shown to be a self confident/ egoistic/ pompous man from the first time he met gogi – hence the eye for an eye answer – he could escape again, if gogi fcked him again. i think he was pretty pissed off with gogi by this scene. also hence right after he chucks his pal outta the car and his life for then.
- why he took bangali back? – i think dewy said it already, i think the same.
the above are just my interpretations, and hence no offence to dewi for her’s/ his.
saw the film the day it released, loved it, tho it’s not the best cinema i’ve seem, i think it’s fcking fantastic what’s happening to india cinema – thanks to great filmakers like dibakar. thoroughly fun film, and captures the soul and heart of delhi like i haven’t personally seen before.
will post more later – good job mr dibakar and team – am putting my wager on u’r next venture already – all the best!
@ navneet
Interesting … thanks.
I was watching this again yesterday and I noticed that when Lucky is about to slap Handa, Handa cowers like a panting dog, quite literally. Did anyone notice that or was it just a coincidence? Also Lucky doesn’t slap Handa, sirf hool deta hai Handa ko – kyun? Someone had posed this question on another post and it got me thinking too. It’s like Lucky finds more pleasure from instilling fear in Handa than actually slapping him.
Or, may be because Lucky just wants to prove who is the actual “boss”. Whether in the bathroom(where this incident happens) or whether whose restaurant it was ‘originally’. I control you, thats what this scene echoes..!
Loved Subhasis’ Review. A surprising thing though … How come nobody has mentioned the soundtrack in any of the reviews on the internet and even here on PFC. I thought it was fabulous. It was a proper soundtrack rather than a collection of songs and one of the most original in a loooong time. Admittedly a lot of lyrics are lost because the songs are extremely fast but they complement the film brilliantly. I loved Superchor and the title song particularly. The film of course is brilliant and Abhay Deol rocks !!!
i loved the soundtrack in the film – went and bought the cd a few days back. been playing it in my car – fantastic songs – jugni and superchor are just too much fun.
i hope i can catch the film once again before it leaves theatres – anyone knows how it’s done at the box office?