Tuesday, February 3, 2009

My Lucky Chance?

I know, I know, but I couldn’t resist, my obsession is growing up and this really feels like a turning point in the history of the Hindi film industry. And I could not resist in partaking in this glorious moment. I will only occasionally post film reviews, only when I can’t deny the temptation.


After a mentally challenging Hindi class (I started Chapter 3 in Snell) and a spontaneous solo birthday (I’m 22 today) celebration....um....I mean a reason to “enrich my Hindi vocabulary”, I decided to head to the theatre and check out Luck by Chance directed by Farhan Akhtar’s sister Zoya Akhtar. Even after spending 26 $ just for the ticket, a medium popcorn and drink, I didn’t waste my money and I was really really glad that I went. Luck by Chance is part of a new breed or cinematic genre that I feel will one day define this new age in Indian Cinema. It will not be called Bollywood, Masala or Parallel Cinema but rather, the term, Hindi Film (made in the Hindi Film Industry as Dimple Kapadia’s character so strongly insists). This film deserves some recognition for raising the bar by offering more than simple entertainment while still keeping people entertained. A great thing about this film is how it interestingly pair’s top Bollywood entertainers (Hrithik Roshan, Rishi Kapoor, Juhi Chalwa, Etc) and actors (Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen Sharma etc) in the same movie. The characters become more complex and interesting as the line between the two categories (entertainers and actors) delightfully shifts and blurs throughout the film. One of my favourite examples of this is the short Zaffar Khan (Hrithik Roshan) sequence when street children run up to the film stars car and he rolls up the window. The glass separates or rather isolates him from the real world. A traveling shot into the inside of his car shows him looking out of the window, we see his reflection in it and both the person and the image are in the frame. Ah! It’s so symbolic. Love it.


The main character Vikram Jaisingh (Farhan Akhtar) does not have much substance but one thing he is not, is the perfect hero. His character is a bit ordinary but that’s the whole point. He comes from Delhi (or it could have been from X, Y or Z), he wants to be an actor and, like all the other million young men who want to act in Bollywood, he is not more talented, more handsome or more qualified than anyone else. He is simply the one that won the refrigerator or, if you don’t understand that parallel, the one that became a star. This character’s “every guy” aspect is even shown visually in the film, especially when Vikram goes to his audition (and yes the color scheme is important like Nikki (Isha Sharvani) points out). Intentionally, everyone in the audition room is wearing black and they all look similar. Also, when the producer and casting director must pick a picture for the lead part all the photographs on the table look the same. Farhan’s role represents the every man trying to make it.









The characters that really bread life into the film are all the film personalities. My favourites have to be Rishi Kapoor playing the very lovable Producer and Dimple Kapadia who plays a has been 70’s star and an over protective mother that you just feel like slapping she’s so good, and even then you still sympathise with her. The producer’s wife played by Juhi Chalwa is a delight to watch and Isha Sharvani as a grownup child presents herself in a corky Amelie Poulain inspired "I like/ I don’t like" sequence.
The two actors Sona (one of my favourite actresses Konkona Sen Sharma) and the cute Abhi (Arjun Mathur) carry the emotional charge of the film. Sona, Vikram’s girlfriend, tries to deal with her crushed dreams and her complicated relationship with Vikram. Abhi, on the other hand, is well settled and concentrates more on the art of acting than becoming a Bollywood star. Abhi is more talented than Vikram and does not approve of “the system” or the pre-packaged “Bollywood Bootcamp” (acting school, dance, martial arts, and cheesy photo session) which Vikram abides too. You also have guest appearances and an almost endless list of cameos. Like, Aamir Khan, Mac Mohan, Anurag Kashyap and Saurabh Shukla . SRK shows up for an indispensable “moment of truth” to guide our poor Vikram. Continuing, you have Rani Mukerjee, Karan Johar, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Rajkumar Hirani, Boman Irani, Manish Malhotra, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Ranbir Kapoor, John Abraham, Kareena Kapoor and Akshaye Khanna. But one person to profit from all the success is actually the film coach, character actor Saurabh Shukla, as he also appears in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire as the assistant police investigator.

Om Shanti Om pays homage to the film industry and Luck by Chance does that too with Hrithik Roshan’s colourful dance sequence that reminds me of a mix between the Cirque du Soleil, Mera Naam Joker and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , or one of the first scenes in the film with Aamir Khan who refers to his love interest as Kamla Devi who in actuallity is the founder of the National School of Drama. But mainly the film shows the reality of the behind the scenes. Although nothing shocking is announced, they're is just a confirmation of what everyone has already heard about. Like the casting couch or the gossip and media controversies. It deglamorises the whole Hindi Film industry, and that is maybe one reason why some people might not like the film. If you want escapism, watch Bollywood, not Luck by Chance.

This is looking like it’s going to be an amazing year for the Hindi film industry. Up next is Dev. D (feb. 8th) starring Abhay Deol, Ballu Barber (feb. 13th) starring Irrfan Khan and Laura Dutt + amazing Shahrukh Khan item numbers and Delhi 6 starring Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor with music by A. R. Rahman (feb. 20th). I am going to see them all, but don’t count on me paying for 12$ popcorn every time.


Filmi Girl and Post Punk Cinema Club have already shared their thoughts on the film. I encourage you to go see Luck by Chance as there are different elements catered to everyone's tastes, so the whole family can enjoy.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday!!!!! Hope you have a great day/evening :)

I can't wait to see this film... but will probably have to until the DVD comes out!

kalyan said...

Happy Birthday :)
Here from Flimi girls blog. Enjoyed reading some of the posts, will have to come back to read the rest.

Filmi Girl said...

Oh gosh, you enjoyed this much more than I did... I couldn't help but feeling that Farhan and Konkona's story was not strong enough to hang the entire film on. I would have enjoyed Luck by Chance more if it had been either a) an ensemble piece with more screen time given to Rishi, Juhi, Sanjay Kapoor, etc. or b) had more of a Rangeela-style story.

All that aside, have you been watching the smaller films coming out like Manorama Six Feet Under or Johnny Gaddar? There is definitely a cross-over appeal to those films. :)

Bollyviewer said...

Happy Birthday (belated), Stella! Sounds like you've found a great way to celebrate. :-)

Glad you liked the movie. Its certainly a way more interesting homage to the Bombay film-world than Om Shanti Om. I dont think LBC really deglamorise's the film-world. It just makes it a more accessible and attainable dream for "every guy". And I loved the end - everybody gets what they want. :-D This is my feel-good movie of the year (so far).

Anonymous said...

PS: Hope you get tempted to review more often.

Banno said...

Hey, belated Happy Birthday! Here's to us becoming the Hindi film industry very, very soon.

Anonymous said...

Belated Happy Birthday Stella! Best wishes for all your dreams to come true :)

Will be seeing "Luck..." on Sat, I am all for liking it, I liked Farhan Akhtar's Rock On very much.

Stella_1 said...

Thanks for your birthday wishes, and hope you watch the film and enjoyed it.

Punjabi Folk Singers said...

I really want to see this film, but I doubt any cinema in Edmonton will carry it. Have you seen Farhan's first film Dil Chahta Hai? I remember it revolutionized Hindi cinema back in 2001. Definitely worth seeing.

Punjabi Folk Singers said...

Also, Happy Belated Birthday.

Anonymous said...

I just finished watching it and i thought it was amazing. Happy belated birthday

Stella_1 said...

Memsaab - Thanks for the birthay wishes. I hope you will enjoy the film. At my local Hindi Film Store they told me that it will come out in about a month.

Kalyan - Thanks. Have fun exploring my blog, glad you enjoy it!

Filmi Girl - Yeah I did enjoy it, I think more than I would have normally, in part because I heven't seen a good new hindi film in a while. 2008 was so sad. Anyway I would like to see both films you mentionned, and I am looking foward to seeing more good films.

Bollyviewer - Yeah this is the feel good movie of the year for sure. Oh, I might have expressed myself wrongly in the post, but what I was trying to say is it takes away much of the illusion of Bollywood and film making in general. Thanks for the birthday wishes! Yes, I hope I will get tempted more often as well, as long as it dosen't get in the way of my school work (like it always seems to do).


Banno - Thanks, but I think Bollywood will always exist, but it's more down to earth but commercial at teh same time. It's not paralel or Bollywood, and it will have to be called something, so why no hindi cinema? Maybe we will see.

Tala - Great, tell me what you think about the film once you have seen it!

Ramneek S. Tung - Well I you get to see it soon. I will try and get my hands on Dil Chahta Hai. Thanks.

Piyush Patel - Yay! So glad you liked it.

Anonymous said...

Been meaning to write ever since I saw it, it sure was a very nice film. I am no critic/ student, just an ordinary viewer who is very forgetful, so the impact has worn off by now else I would have been able to share more!!

And yes, Farhan's (Writer/ Director) Dil Chahta Hain sure was a refreshing change and very well done.