Language : Hindi
Director : Zoya Akhtar
Writers : Zoya Akhtar (story & screenplay), Javed Akhtar (dialogues).
Cast : Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen Sharma, Isha Sherwani, Dimple Kapadia.
Genre : Drama.
Imdb: Luck By Chance (2009)
Streaming on Amazon Prime.
Luck by chance is a Hindi 2009 film written and directed by Zoya Akhtar in her debut directorial. Films telling the story of a film inside a film are not new in any industry. But what makes Luck by chance stand apart is the story and making of the film. It portrays the struggles of outsiders to become the next big thing in Bollywood and some of the dark secrets that persist in the industry.
I have seen ‘Baawre’ song from the film a million times for Hrithik Roshan and always waited till Bheegi Billy performs the step in 9xm and watching that song in the film makes me realize that it was not just a normal song in the film. It has an important role in the screenplay itself. The film opens and ends with Konkana and the opening scene itself is a shock. But the ending scene is a statement and I think that is the politics that Zoya wants to convey in her debut venture. We can see many mainstream actors and actresses doing cameos in the film as themselves but Hrithik Roshan is an exception as he has done an extended cameo as a character in the film. We can understand a lot of things that are happening inside a shooting set and an audition room and how luck plays a crucial role in someone’s life.
Coming to the performances, Farhan Akhtar and Konkana have done their roles beautifully. But for me, the one who needs a special mention is Isha Sherwani. She portrayed the role of a star kid brilliantly. Her jiggles and mannerisms in rehearsal scenes are commendable. Also, the cameo of Shah Rukh Khan and his advice to Farhan Akhtar is actually a piece of advice that everyone can relate to. Altogether Zoya Akthar made it clear in her debut that she is here to stay. So, I recommend this film to everyone who is curious about what happens behind the frame in real life.
Verdict: 6/7 Stars.
Brilliant.
Trivia (Slight Spoilers Follow)
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The scene where Shah Rukh Khan walks into a lounge (as himself in the film) and meets Farhan Akhtar for the first time, he is shown to be accompanied by a man of his age. This guy is none other than Mushtaq Sheikh who is Shahrukh Khan’s age old friend in real life and has written quite a few books on him apart from penning Om Shanti Om (2007) and also acting in it. In a way he is related to the plot. When Shah Rukh Khan tells Farhan Akhtar that he should not be forgetting his friends from the old times, a message is being conveyed because the superstar himself is shown to be in company of those (read Mushtaq) who have been with him through his good and bad times.
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At the end of the title sequence of the movie, when the ‘directed by’ credit appears on the screen, a closed gate of a fictitious cinema hall is shown which appears to be named “Kismet Talkies”. This is a reference to the director Zoya Akhtar’s shelved project which was called “Kismet Talkies” (Kismat Talkies (2010)) and which remained on hold for a long time after which she moved on to make Luck by Chance.
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John Abraham in his cameo says quite ironically when he mouths the dialogue ‘Ab main kuch hatke karna chahta hoon’ (I want to do something different) while refusing Rommy Rolly. He had recently done a strange role in the kafkaesque movie No Smoking (2007) and it is known that he chooses the films that he truly believes he can do justice to. Thus portraying his real self on screen.
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In the movie after the character of Farhan Akhtar becomes successful, and a party is thrown to welcome the new star in the industry, Karan Johar delivers a very succinct dialogue that’s symptomatic of the state of affairs of the industry. He points out to Hrithik Roshan, by giving the examples of living legendary actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, that it is in the situations, where the established stars refuse to work outside their images, that an opportunity is created for a new face to be launched in the industry. As a matter of fact these moments of disruption, in reality too, have created new stars in the industry that have launched themselves into the dizzying heights of new success.
❤️ ❤️