12 Friday 10th April, 2009

Luck By Chance : A story ed to play the of an aspiring actor male lead. But as Director: he gains profes- Cast: , Konkona sional fame, his Sen Sharma, Rishi personal life goes for a toss with a uck, they say, is an important failed relation- factor in the film industry. But ship with girl- Ltalent is equally important. friend Sona. Thoughtfully, Zoya Akhtar doesn’t rely The unique- on plain chance in her directorial ness of Luck By debut but exhibits immense aptitude Chance is the while largely highlighting the signifi- cheeky spoofs it cance of fate in films. attempts on the functioning of is the story of an the film industry without exag-

bytes but at no moment gets slapstick. The narrative even covers external factors affecting the film industry comprising of act- ing schools, drama-the- atre, corporate studios to aspiring actor Vikram (Farhan Akhtar) gerating the outcome (like media houses and has interest- who comes from Delhi to to in Nagesh Kukunoor’s ing anecdotes on each. make it big in films. Sona Mishra Calling ). Anand Subaya’s editing is () has been strug- Luck By Chance has crisp and he makes good use of gling for more than a couple of years some of the best montage mixture at several in B-grade cinema and wants to switch employed cameos which instances. The production to more meaty roles. are not just stuffed in design (Anuradha Parikh) Meanwhile film producer Rommy for star-value but go in and the costumes (Arjun Rolly () announces a new sync with the script. Bhasin, Aparna Chandra) project starring popular film-star Zafar Zoya manages to pull off impart a perfect Bollywood Khan () alongside Nikki satire on several actors feel to the film. The imagi- (Isha Sharvani), daughter of yester- who make you laugh at natively shot opening cred- year actress Neena Walia (Dimple their own expense it song deserves a special Kapadia). (notably , mention for paying tribute Zafar’s exit from the project is and to every uncelebrated Vikram’s entry ticket to Bollywood. Anurag Kashyup). Also craftsman involved in the Luck shines bright on him as he is the film-in-film setting making of a movie. Right short-listed for Rolly’s film and select- gives ample scope for sev- at the onset, it defines eral parody pieces on and sets a perfect mood Bollywood clichés. for the film. Shankar- While Bollywood is Ehsaan-Loy’s musical essentially employed as score is engaging though a the backdrop of the film, couple of songs in the sec- it doesn’t form the back- ond half were clearly avoid- bone, with the protago- able. nist’s character-graph tak- Almost every character in the ing prominence. It starts film has grey shades though not with Vikram’s self-assured glorified to extreme extents. The struggle to get into movies, progresses with his ethical cor- ruption resulting from fame and culminates with his remorse. However, with the rejection of his repentance, the film opts for an abrupt climax where the protagonist suddenly switches from Vikram to Sona. The movie culminates on a prag- matic note much in the mould, though it evades such treatment through its

movie reveals the double standards of industry people though not showing them in an outright negative light. The trivial scene where Hrithik as super- star Zafar is separated from the exter- nal world by his car’s glass window is a subtle metaphor for the confinements of stardom. The pre-interval confronta- tion between Farhan and his friends is another effective scene. Zoya Akhtar succeeds in extracting perfect performances from each and every member of the cast. And if you think Isha Sharvani can’t act, she is used in the film to that effect. She is not supposed to act but simply look beautiful, which she does. Farhan Akhtar comes up with a natural and confident act and glides effortlessly through his role. Konkona Sen Sharma is as dependable as always and stands tall throughout the film. Rishi Kapoor gets the looks and mannerisms of his Bollywood producer character correct and is exceptionally hilarious. is impressive as a yesteryear actress and the doting mother of her daughter. Hrithik Roshan is decent in run by not getting hard-hitting heavy characters. The twist in the interval his extended special appearance. or regressively realistic. point is especially noteworthy where Nevertheless, Zoya Akhtar comes up Sona loses her chance and Vikram gets with a taut screenplay comprising of lucky. The treatment continuously some amusingly comic-but-credible alternates between humour to reality Congratulations!

Coupon No. 26 The correct answer is ‘Bindiya’ 1. Mr. A. H. I. Samarakkodi Katuwawala 2. Pubudinie Weerasingha Ragama 3. Venuri Randula Homagama 4. D. Vithanage Nugegoda 5. Nishani Rupasnghe Colombo 3 6. Manel Chandrasena Kadawatha 7. Anuk Kollonnawa 8. Kushan Bulathwela Kelaniya Luck By Chance highlights how the 9. M. L. K. Liyanage Kalutara South film industry give regards to every- 10. M. A. Nuwan Sameera Dodangoda. thing else but the story when making a Your complimentary tickets (2) will be delivered by EAP Film & Theares movie and ironically weaves a fascinat- (Pvt) Ltd. shortly. ing story using that paradox.