Luck By Chance - Review

Guys i m starting a site, which will come soon. It will be only for movie reviews, considering I see every movie that Bollywood makes and get calls every Saturday to know their outcomes. But for now, just use this space. I am writing today the review for Lucky By Chance.

From the very first frame of this film, one this is certain, this is a Quality product. The opening credits certainly bring a smile to your face, as each passing frame, tells a story. Some beautifully crafted shots, you see every element of a Hindi film, from the extras, action sequences, to my personal favorite, the "Chai" being prepared.
Whats starts off then is the journey of two strugglers, namely Farhan Akhtar & Konkana Sen Sharma and their journey to Stardom. While the story might not be the most fresh or new plot, it is the way it has been told that is the USP of this film. Along this journey, the movie has been backed by some exemplary performances, which take the cinematic experience to a new level.

Vikram Jaising (Farhan) comes to Mumbai from Delhi, in search of filmdom & finds it hard to fit in. Living with his aunt & hanging out with his friends , he happens to meet Sona (Konkana), and they hit it off very well. Some of the best scenes in the movie are in the beginning, especially Saurabh Shukla's brilliant cameo as the Acting school teacher.
Somewhere along the way, Vikram meets the right people, impresses yesteryears Diva Neena Walia (Dimple) and lands himself a plum project with her bimbette daughter Niki (Isha Sharvani). The story from there is one heard many times before of stardom, lost friends, jealousy & betrayal. The story moves slowly in the first half, but picks up pace soon after. Somewhere, even with a story that wasn't the best, the direction raises the level for the viewer. It shows how direction can take an ordinary story to an immersive tale.

From the performances, Rishi Kapoor delivers a stupendous performance as the over-the-top producer Romy Rolly, and trully steals the show. His scene with wife Minty (Juhi). where he is disheartened at the respect he recieves is truly a class act. She too suits the role perfectly but is somehow wasted and could have used more screentime.
Sanjay Kapoor delivers a surprise package and is funny in bits. Hrithink Roshans extended cameo is also very good and he does great justice to his role. Dimple impresses in her role as the diva, while Isha Sharvani for the first time shows that she can indeed act.

But the anchor of the movie, pulling off yet another brilliant performance is Farhan Akhtar. For his second film, he has improved by leaps and bounds, and adds a great vulnerability to his charecter. Though one can see him getting typecasted in this sort of semi-parallel cinema.

From the cameos, Aamir seems wasted, Abhishek irritating , Anurag Kashyap absolutely marvellous, with Shahrukh Khan being the pick of the lot. The scene between him and Farhan is brilliant and shows that Farhan was perfectly casted for this role, as he fits in as an upcoming star.
Konkana too delivers a great performance, but looks terrible in her tight close-ups. Her face is puffy and she looks fat.
But a special mention has to be made about Javed Akhtars writing. The dialogues penned by him are amazing and have a lot of depth.
The music is good but not the best, with the cinematography being a good support to the film.

Zoya Akhtar makes a strong debut and the end product has a lot of hard work written on it. Each detail is paid attention to and one can say that the Excel camp might have found themselves another winner. What stands out in her style is the subtle way in which the scenes are crafted, requring a decently intelligent viewer. We would have to wait and watch her future ventures, but from what it seems, she promises to be a great storyteller and has thrown up quite a product compared to the sub-standard movies that are churned out week after week.

At the end of it, the multiplex audience will have a great time watching this movie, which also carries a lot of intelligent jokes (many which would not be understood by the masses). Although the movie has great potential, one does not see it going to far in the single screen theaters. All I can say is, if you love Bollywood the way i do, you will definitely enjoy Luck by Chance, and live the Hindi film industry through the movie.

Critical: 4/5
Commercial: 3/5