LUCK BY CHANCE
Zoya as a director impresses with her innovative treatment, detailing & eye for song picturisation.
by Vishal Verma

An Excel Entertainment Presentation with Big Pictures. Genre: Drama. Target Audience: General. Producers: Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani & Zoya Akhtar. Executive Producer: Miriam Joseph. Writer- Director: Zoya Akhtar (debut as director).

Star Cast
Farhan Akhtar...... Vikram Jaisingh
Konkona Sen Sharma...... Sona Mishra
Rishi Kapoor...... Rommy Rolly
Dimple Kapadia...... Neena Walia
Juhi Chawla...... Minty Rolly
Sanjay Kapoor...... Ranjit Rolly
Isha Sharwani...... Nikki Walia
Hrithik Roshan...... Zaffar Khan
Saurabh Shukla
Aly Khan...... Chaudhary

With
Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Khanna, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Javed Akhtar, Ranbir Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Kareena Kapoor, Diya Mirza, & Rani Mukherjee playing themselves in guest appearances.

Technical Analysis
Zoya Akhtar’s call of light, camera & action provides appetite for those who are aware that Bollywood is intermittently guffawing and constantly being amazed by a succession of surprises it offers.

Zoya’s ‘Luck by Chance’ is a treatment film which is to a lot of extent captivating with substantial dollops of comedy, romance & detailing. The light hearted take on bollywood is well written by Javed Akhtar who uses the   trademark lingos used in the industry very well.

By turns vibrant and despairing, Zoya’s directorial debut manages to highlight the celebrity-obsessed culture of the industry. Movies on film industry though well made had not been able to find its audience be it Asrani’s Chala Murari Hero Banne in 1977, Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon by Chandan Arora in 2003.

Zoya’s ‘Luck By Chance’ will at least find some metro audience cause it uses a simple story to good effect. It may not attract enough single screen viewers but will defiantly be hailed by critics.

The film starts by introducing us to Bollywood shooting locations with crew where struggler Konkana - (fantastic as ever) is sharing the screen with the perfectionist Aamir. Brilliant start where Anuradha Parikh & T P Abid art deserves special mention. Then she meets an aspiring actor Farhan an aspirant (underplays the character which affects the film). Both want to make it big in bollywood. Konkana plays the subdue while Farhan plays the manipulative type.     

Farhan’s world is filled with vitality, but also deceptively banal. He manages to get a lead role in a top producer’s film – Rishi Kapoor is simply outstanding over here. Whereas Konkana- the not so manipulative types is waiting for the last three years for his film to go on floors. Zoya is successful in fitting into his brothers shoes as a helmer by presenting the story with passion and an eye for song picturisation.

Whether it's the number featuring Hrithik Roshan or the audition scenes, or those scenes in the dressing room, all scenes drive your attention and force you to notice Zoya as a helmer who cares for detail. Only if she has concentrated more on the character of Konkana which seems incomplete, the movie could have been a dream ride for everybody concerned.

The movie starts with Konkana and ends with her without giving much of explanation. The first half is quite engrossing with Rishi Kapoor providing the maximum laughs. Second half however drags and fails to hold the viewer through out. Technically its quite sound be it the lenses by Carlos Catalan, fine editing by Anand Subaya, Costume by Aparna Chandra & Arjun Bhasin. Sound mixing by Baylon Fonseca & excellent choreography by Vaibhavi Merchant, Rajiv Surti, & Megha Narkar. Production values are A+.
Strangely, music by Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy is a major letdown.

Some may find some similarities with the characters played by Rishi, & Hrithik to some known names in the industry but it’s funny and light hearted.

Apart from Rishi, & this treatment film’s other highlights are Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Khanna, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Javed Akhtar, Ranbir Kapoor  Shabana Azmi, Kareena Kapoor, Diya Mirza, & Rani Mukherjee playing themselves in guest appearances, while Dimple Kapadia as the veteran diva, Juhi Chawla as the producer’s wife, Sanjay Kapoor as the director, Isha Sharwani as the diva’s daughter and a wannabe, 

Hrithik Roshan as a superstar, Saurabh Shukla as acting guru and Aly Khan as an upcoming producer are brilliant where Dimple is excellent.

In all ‘Luck By Chance’ doesn't measure up to the high standards it sets during the starting credits, instead on relying on its lead characters, its relies on the characters like the producer, the diva to make it a pleasant entertainment.

The film has more charm than the average romantic comedy, but, when considered from a bare bones perspective, it follows most of the rules that define the genre. The ending, for example, is a bit confused and unexplained and appears to be hurried and doesn,t justify the helmers own writing to get us there from the opening credits.

Nevertheless, “Luck By Chance’ welcomes Zoya as a talented helmer and also gives a mirror to Farhan from where he can later brush his acting skills.

The Story
Sona (Konkona Sen Sharma) arrives in Bombay with her dreams of becoming a film star. Wide eyed but ambitious, She lives on her own in a rented apartment - a luxury for most in this bustling city and spends her time with a motley crew of loyal friends whose lives are also entwined with Bollywood, each one in search of a bigger dream.

Vikram (Farhan Akhtar) has just moved to the city leaving the comforts of his parents Delhi home. He is a mover, he is used to getting what he wants and is smart enough to know when to demand it and when to manipulate it. He is young and handsome, and full of promise. Sona begins to enjoy Vikram's attention and affections; they develop a romantic relationship.

Rolly (Rishi Kapoor) is a successful though superstitious producer who only works with the biggest stars. He is making a potential blockbuster launching the nubile Nikki Khurana (Isha Sharwani), the 18-year-old daughter of 70's superstar, Neena (Dimple Kapadia). The hero of the film, Zaffar Khan (Hrithik Roshan), is Rolly's favorite superstar. He was launched by Rolly and went on to become a huge draw at the box office.

The wheels of fate indeed continue to spin favorably for Vikram, as elsewhere in the industry, havoc spreads on the sets of producer Rommy Rolly's new film. Vikram is called in for an audition and uses this opportunity to the fullest.

The film is about a slice of Bollywood life, in which Kismet plays a huge role.

Promotion
Outdoor publicity is interesting, indoors could have been more innovative. Media buzz by Imagesmiths has been reasonable. The promoters could have planned some innovative technique to attract more buzz, considering the power of hype and promotion after the super success of Ghajini.

Business Analysis
Appearance of Hrithik in its promos and posters, fine crafts in the making, decent humour will fetch some metro audience at the multiplex. Its run in single screen is limited cause it doesn,t appeal to them.

Other Credits
Shooting Locations (City & Country) : Mumbai (India). Shooting Studios: Filmistan, Mehboob Studio & Filmcity. Cassettes and CD's on Big Music. Lyricist: Javed Akhtar. Music: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonca. Cinematography: Carlos Catalan. Choreography: Vaibhavi Merchant, Rajiv Surti, & Megha Narkar. Art: Anuradha Parikh & T P Abid. Editor: Anand Subaya. Sound: Baylon Fonseca. Dialogue

Javed Akhtar. Costume: Aparna Chandra & Arjun Bhasin. Media Consultant: Imagesmiths. Previewed at Famous Preview Theatre, Mumbai on January 29, 2009.

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