luck by chance review

Rating: 4/5

One has often heard, read and seen [on screen] the positive and negative aspects of Bollywood. It would be erroneous to state that LUCK BY CHANCE does a pol-khol of the glamorous industry. Let’s put it this way: The film mirrors the behind-the-scenes drama and manoeuvring exactly the way it occurs in showbiz. Watching LUCK BY CHANCE is like experiencing it first-hand.

If you’re associated with Bollywood, if you know how the machine works, you’d laud and applaud, laugh and smile, identify and understand and at times, empathize and sympathize with the characters in LUCK BY CHANCE. Zoya Akhtar’s take on an industry that attracts millions of hopefuls year after year is bang on target.

Almost three decades ago, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s GUDDI depicted a star-struck teenager’s [Jaya Bhaduri] obsession for a top star [Dharmendra]. Along with the core issue, the film highlighted the behind-the-scenes hard work and labour that went into making movies.

LUCK BY CHANCE taps almost every important facet of Bollywood and presents assorted characters you’ve encountered some time in life: An over-ambitious aspirant who knows to make the right moves; an actress trying hard to get that big break, even if she has to compromise; an icon of the 1970s who desperately wants her daughter to be a star; a producer who looks at riding on big names, script be damned; a failed actor now looking at direction to redeem his career.

One of the prime reasons why LUCK BY CHANCE works is because the writing [Zoya Akhtar] is simply wonderful. Right from the characters, to the individualistic scenes, to the way Zoya puts them in a sequence, LUCK BY CHANCE is easily one of the most cohesive scripts this side of the Atlantic.

The verdict? Leave aside everything and hitch this joyride called LUCK BY CHANCE. It would be sacrilege to miss this one!

Sona [Konkona Sen Sharma] arrives in Mumbai with dreams of becoming a film star. She does whatever it takes, to make it. Vikram [Farhan Akhtar] has just moved to the city leaving the comforts of his Delhi home. He is used to getting what he wants and is smart enough to know when to demand it and when to manipulate it. Gradually, Sona and Vikram 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 Niki [Isha Sharwani], the daughter of 1970s superstar Neena [Dimple Kapadia]. The hero of the film, Zaffar Khan [Hrithik Roshan], is the superstar.

Zaffar decides to opt out of Rolly’s film and that creates havoc in Rolly’s life. Rolly decides to cast newcomers and finally, Vikram is shortlisted for the main role…

LUCK BY CHANCE picks up characters straight out of life and that’s the beauty of this script. The interesting part is that each of these characters has a story running parallel to the main story. Although the writing is foolproof, this review would be incomplete if one failed to acknowledge a number of scenes that are the hallmark of this enterprise…

# Note the sequence when Rishi Kapoor breaking down after Hrithik has walked out of his movie. It moves you!

# On the lighter side, Farhan strikes a conversation with Dimple at a movie premiere and extols lavish praises on her.

# Much later, an angry Dimple instructs Isha to patch up with Farhan, soon after Farhan and Isha’s debut film has been declared a success. Watch the moments when Dimple recalls her early years.

# The sequence featuring SRK.

If Zoya’s writing is superb, her execution of the written material deserves distinction marks. This may be Zoya’s directorial debut, but she treats the difficult subject like a veteran. Javed Akhtar’s dialogues are remarkable. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music is a mixed bag; the score could’ve been better. However, the choreography of the circus song is remarkable. Carlos Catalan’s cinematography captures the right moods.

Farhan Akhtar is evolving into one of the most dependable actors of his generation. He’s very real, very believable. No wonder, this character stands out. Konkona Sen Sharma is exceptional. The supremely talented actress delivers a sparkling performance yet again. Rishi Kapoor is incredible. A performance that merits the highest praise. Dimple Kapadia is in terrific form. It easily ranks amongst her most accomplished works. Juhi Chawla is first-rate. Isha Sharwani does her part well. Sanjay Kapoor springs a surprise. He registers an impact. Aly Khan is perfect.

Hrithik Roshan is truly wonderful. Note the sequence when he strikes a conversation with Karan Johar, only to realize that he himself had paved the way for Farhan in the industry. Only an accomplished actor could’ve handled this sequence with aplomb. Amongst the A-listers who make fleeting appearances in the film, the one who registers the maximum impact is Shah Rukh Khan.

On the whole, LUCK BY CHANCE is an outstanding film in all respects. A magnificent outing from the producers of ROCK ON!!, LUCK BY CHANCE is sure to prove an extremely lucky and rewarding experience at the box-office. Strongly recommended!

luck by chance review

Rating 4/5

Vikram (Farhan Akhtar, the director’s brother) arrives in Mumbai from New Delhi hoping to crack the movie business, and he soon finds romance with Sona (Konkona Sen Sharma), who is a few years ahead of him in terms of making inroads but is still waiting for her big break. The film gets its digs in early and often, populating the movie-making universe with characters who are vacuous, weaselly or both.

Ms. Akhtar, who also wrote the screenplay, shows herself to be a master of extremes. A fabulous circus-theme musical number pulls out all the stops, but a scene in which an acting teacher explains why Hindi stars have to be more talented than those in Hollywood is a subtle comic gem.

It is Vikram who finally manipulates and lucks his way into a breakthrough, and it is Mr. Akhtar whose understated performance holds together this far-ranging, cameo-filled film. He manages to remain sympathetic even while wreaking romantic havoc.

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Already in the news for its brother-sister camaraderie, the film has been written and directed by Zoya and is the story of an aspiring actor who arrives in Mumbai to make it big in Bollywood. And penning the script seems to have been a cakewalk for Javed Akhtar’s daughter.

‘This was quite an easy film for me to write. From start to finish, it took me no extra research to pen the story down. It is so because I’ve seen a lot of strugglers who come to Mumbai make a living out of Bollywood. Also, I have friends who came from Oman and Assam and are doing fairly good work for themselves,’ Zoya told IANS in an interview.

Produced by Excel Entertainment in association with Big Pictures, ‘Luck By Chance’ stars Zoya’s brother Farhan Akhtar in the lead, who was last seen in his hit debut ‘Rock On!!’

The film has an ensemble cast and also features Konkona Sen Sharma, Dimple Kapadia, Rishi Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Hrithik Roshan and Isha Sharvani. A few Bollywood biggies have walk-on parts too.

The movie is already making its mark in people’s minds with its unique promos and rumours that it is Bollywood’s next ‘Om Shanti Om’, considering its behind-the-curtains portrayal of the Hindi filmdom.

But Isha Shravani slams all such buzz. She said: ‘The film is very different from ‘Om Shanti Om’. The plots of both the movies are very different. ‘Om Shanti Om’ was much more of a musical. While ‘Luck By Chance’ has a different take on Bollywood. It’s much more real.

‘Zoya has really put together a fantastic script and characters in the movie. The film is unique in its approach.’

The soundtrack of the film is already a hit with its experimental music and oft-hummed tunes courtesy composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Featuring a robust mix of songs from multiple genres, the film’s medium-paced songs have already enforced the audiences’ to shake a leg as well as brood in silence with its varying tempo.

Considering the volatile situation in terms of business in Bollywood, the year started on a disappointing note and has managed so far to give a hit only in Vishesh Films’ horror thriller ‘Raaz – The Mystery Continues’.

What is to be seen is whether audiences would hold onto their seats for another behind-the-scenes Bollywood potboiler.

Zoya though is quite confident about the box-office results for her maiden venture.

‘I don’t think any film made on Bollywood has not done well. At least, I have liked all of them whether it be ‘Guddi’, ‘Rangeela’ and ‘Om Shanti Om’ … and all of them have done well too,’ she said.
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raaz 2 review

Nandita (Kangana) is a ramp model in love with the wrong guy, ignoring her own life and career for the relationship. An invitation by this on-off boyfriend Yash (Adhyayan Suman) leads her to the party where his television show dismissing superstitions Andhvishwas is being felicitated.
All’s well, till she starts getting stalked by saucer-eyed Emraan Hashmi to the haunting tunes of the piano. Then follow the usual suspects of every horror film – the deserted car park, moving camera, the elevator scene and so on. To the soundtrack of a woman wailing we see Hashmi’s Prithivi in a damp, dark studio furiously painting. We see that it is the painting of Nandita, with a slashed wrist. Meanwhile, Nikita discovers she is pregnant and a near-fatal, freak incident causes her a miscarriage and, you guessed it, a slashed wrist exactly as in the painting. Next up, Nandita experiences strange occurrences – at a fashion show, she glares at the chief guest and manhandles him. The vision of her being taken in by the security had found its way onto Prithvi’s canvas just a day before. Nandita is frightened, and convinced that she is being attacked by a spirit. The spirit is ruthless and harasses Nandita again, but Prithvi has already envisioned it and is there to save Nandita. Such incidents continue till she decides to unravel the raaz that connects her to Prithvi and to the spirit that’s determined to harm her. This journey leads her to a village Kalindi in Himachal Pradesh, where the imminent annual mela also has a connection with Nandita.

Raaz –The Mystery Continues manages a pretty good rank on the scare-o-meter; there are some genuinely chilling scenes, but nothing that’ll give you recurring nightmares. Of course, the film becomes unintentionally comic in portions where we see a monster-like hand emerge out of the ATM machine or when we see Jackie Shroff’s half-disfigured face with several others. There too many teases – the screensaver changing to a blood red `God is Dead!’ leads to nothing; the track about the Agori tribe has no real significance; and the bulls attacking Nandita’s car is there just for the heck. Most significantly, we are unable to understand the reason for the spirit picking on Nandita in the first place. Then there is the pseudo religion- espousing where a holy man advices Nandita to keep the Bhagvad Gita with her to ward away evil spirits. Like in Vikram Bhatt’s 1920, where the evil spirit is done away with, using the Hanuman Chalisa.

Director Mohit Suri’s storytelling is super-stylish, reminiscent of Ram Gopal Varma’s smart thrillers. Cinematography by Ravi Walia is outstanding, from shot composition to the moody lighting. Dialogue is functional, apart from some bloopers like using `son of a bitch’ as an expletive and Nandita explaining to Yash – `You know how much I love myself. Why would I try committing suicide?’ Songs, as in most Bhatt films, are quite good.

Kangana Ranaut is fabulous both in the tender scenes and in those where she is possessed and going through the usual drone like levitating and screaming. She looks good in her new look with the soft perm and slightly over-done make-up.

Hashmi gives a spirited performance. Adhyayan Suman is far better in this film than his disastrous debut Haal-e-Dil. He does need a spiffier haircut and an overall makeover though. The actor playing the head priest’s wife gives you the chills.

The film’s raaz is ironically the weakest point in the film. For there is no justification or motive really, for the spirit to vent its revenge on Nandita. Still, the Indian audience is a great sport when it comes to horror films; they arrive in droves with family and friends to huddle together or pass smart-alecky comments leading to nervous laughter all over the theater. The film is recommended if you can enjoy the thrills and chills, not really holding your breath for the mysterious raaz.

slumdog millionare bags 10 oscar nomination

BEVERLY HILLS: Inching closer towards an Oscar, composer A R Rahman on Thursday got himself nominated for three Academy awards for his score in
Slumdog Millionaire
British-Indian movie “Slumdog Millionaire”, which was in all shortlisted for 10 categories including best film and best director.

“Something good is happening and I am really happy about it,” was the reaction of Rahman, who became the first Indian to win a triple Oscar nomination. 43-year-old Rahman was nominated for Best Original Score and the numbers ‘Jai Ho’ and ‘O Saya’ were shortlisted for the Best Original Song.

Close on the heels of the dual-language film winning four Golden Globes, including one for Rahman, earlier this month, Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy were shortlisted for best director and best adapted screenplay categories.

The film also won nominations in cinematography, sound mixing, sound editing and film editing. David Fincher’s romantic periodical “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, starring Brad Pitt, topped this year’s race with a whopping 13 nominations.

The nominations were announced at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theatre by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker. The winners will be named on February 22 at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre.

Only two Indian have won the coveted Oscar till date, Bhanu Athaiya (for costume design in “Gandhi”) and Satyajit Ray, who was given an honorary Oscar for his contribution to films.

This is also the first time that an Indian has won more than one nomination in Oscars history.

Reacting to the nominations, Rahman said, “I did not think it will get there. God has been really kind. And I have to really thank the prayers of all the people and their good wishes. “There is a kind of optimism in the film and so much of positive vibes as you leave the movie hall.”

In the original score category, Rahman will compete with Alexandre Desplat (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), James Newton Howard (“Defiance”), Danny Elfman (“Milk”) and Thomas Newman (“WALL-E”).

Rahman will compete with Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman (“Down to earth” from “WALL-E”) in the original song category. Gulzar has penned the lyrics of “Jai Ho” and Mia Arulpragasam “O Saya”.

Co-director Loveelyn Tandon said “We have proved everyone wrong. It’s a crazy feeling beyond words. Ten nominations is something unbelievable.” She said all Rahman’s work has been awarded and the “world has finally woken up to his talent”. The films for the best picture race are “Milk”, “Frost/Nixon”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “The Reader”.

Those nominated in the best director category along with Boyle are David Fincher (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), Stephen Daldry (“The Reader”), Gus Van Sant (“Milk”) and Ron Howard (“Frost/Nixon”).