Luck by Chance

Intro : A look into the inner fabric of what we today know as Bollywood.

The Scenario : The movie follows the trials and tribulations of two main characters (Farhan and Konkona) who are after the same goals - Bollywood Stardom. Along the way they come across a series of characters and personalities who form the crux of the industry. How much will one sacrifice of his/her principles and "person" to get ahead? What effect does rising stardom have on friends and family?

Another well crafted parallel story line is the point of view of a troubled Producer (Rishi Kapoor) and obstacles he needs to go through to get a bunch of ego's and personalities together. (Like a Coalition Government!)

The movie also gives us an insight into what goes behind the finished item - namely the unsung heroes in the industry. The music is pretty good and well placed in the film.

Pros : The casting director should get credit here - actors, special appearances have been rock solid without being overdone. The levels of black humour are abundant. Konkona and Farhan have been in top form but Rishi Kapoor (the arch-typical Punjabi Bollywood producer) probably gets away with the top prize here. Watch out for the little cameo by Saurab Shukla (Slumdog M, Dasvidaniya) who sets the movie rolling in many ways.

Cons : Perhaps the movie could have been a tad shorter but that may not be a problem if you're enjoying it. I know most people will not agree but despite being an improving and likable actor - Farhan's voice takes some getting used to. Well we got used to Rani M so it may not be that bad :)

It makes me feel so happy to see a product like Luck By Chance coming out of India. A land full of commercial cinema! I enjoyed Luck By chance to the fullest. Zoya Akthar made a brilliant debut as a director, I could not find any flaws.

Farhan Akthar is one damn good actor, he expresses so good with his face. It might be because he is a brilliant director himself and knows how to deliver performances.

The cast of the whole movie was very convincing, Rishi Kapoor as Rolly was hilarious but very impactful, Konkona delivers a fine performance yet again, she is one of the best actresses in the country. All the cameos made sense and wasn't commercial just like Om Shanti Om for instance.

The music was used very well, no unnecessary playbacking portions, no misplacement of the songs. Sapno se bhare naina was very beautiful, Pyaar ki dastaan is shot very well aswel.

Zoya Akhtar is one director to look out for, she left me speechless. SRK's cameo is very effective, his last dialogue is very effective.

Awesome with a capitcal "A"!

Well done Zoya, Farhan, Konkona!

"Luck By Chance" has most of the hallmarks of a typical Bollywood production: shimmering visuals, eye-popping colors and costumes, and gorgeous young performers all placed in the service of a slick-fiction melodrama, punctuated by elaborately choreographed song-and-dance numbers that play like glittery shampoo commercials on steroids. The difference here is that since it is Bollywood itself that is the subject of the film, writer/director Zoya Akhtar gets to indulge in some mild self-criticism aimed at a few of the weaknesses inherent in the industry. For instance, the movie questions why nepotism seemingly plays so large a role in the hiring of actors and actresses, an inside-joke, one assumes, since Akhtar chose her own brother, Farhan, to play the lead character in this film. It also makes fun of the fact that no self-respecting mainstream Indian film would be caught dead without at least a half a dozen musical sequences, even though they are rarely germane to the plot or integral to the theme. That doesn't, however, keep the makers of "Luck By Chance" from fulfilling their mandated quota of said sequences. Apparently, iconoclasm will take one only so far when there are box office receipts at stake.

"Luck By Chance" tells of an aspiring young actor named Vikram (Akhtar) who lands the lead role in what is described to us as "a big-budget thriller/musical love story." His sudden success becomes a cause of dissension between him and his girlfriend, Sona (Konkona Sen Sharma), since she is herself a struggling actress and has been unable to pick up more than mere bit parts in unimpressive films up to this point. She also becomes jealous of Vikram's co-star, the lovely Nikki Walia (Isha Sarvani), whose over-controlling mother (Dimple Kapadia) was a famous movie actress herself in the 1970s.

In terms of dramaturgy and audience attention-spans, the story could definitely use some tightening, but it does capture some of the frustration, heartbreak and disappointment of trying to make it in the "biz." It also points out the capricious nature of filmdom success, making the case that it is often nothing more than sheer luck - of being at the right place at the right time or of having that indefinable "something" that sets one apart from all others - that ultimately determines who will make it as a star and who will not.

The romantic scenes are nicely played by Akhtar and Sharma, but there's no getting around the fact that the movie itself runs on for such an unconscionable length of time (over two-and-a-half-hours) that audiences (Western audiences, at least) are bound to lose interest in the story quite a ways prior to its actual completion. That's a shame because there's much that is likable and charming about "Luck By Chance."

The empathy for the everyday actress, the one who does not get to become the star - that is the USP of this movie. A very intimate portrayal - loving her just the way she is, with her weaknesses and her faults and still a basic goodness that she is able to keep intact, embellished with the confidence, courage and self respect that she finally finds.

this movie has a great star cast. after farrah khan's 'om shanti om', this movie had shots of most of the celebs in billowed. yet, the storyline was not very new.

the performances by all the actors were really good which kept me watching the movie without getting bored. the characterisations of rishi kapoor, dimple kapadia and her on screen daughter were really good and the actors had done justice to their roles.

'fashion' showed the struggles and betrayals that a model would face in the fashion industry and now this movie shows the same of an actor (and an actress) in the Hindi movie industry.

even though the story line is very much predictable it is still worth watching...