The "Zoya" Factor

The most well directed sequence in Zoya Akthar's directorial debut "Luck by Chance" is the one where the principal characters are shown reacting to an article in a filmi periodical speaking about Vikram (Farhan Akthar) ditching his long time struggling girl friend, Sona (Konkona Sen Sharma) in favor of starlet Nikki Walia (Isha Sharvani) to further his filmi career. Watch this one especially for Juhi Chawla's gleeful expression- a 3 second shot that tells us how extremely talented and how disappointedly under utilized an actor she is!

The above mentioned is the best sequence in the film which is peppered with well conceived scenes and very well acted out characters. It is a delight to watch characters and not actors here- that too played by some of the most talented names in Bollywood. Dimple Kapadia is marvelous as yester year star turned star mother Neena Walia! Rishi Kapoor is a delight to watch as producer Romy Rolly and Javed Akthar pens his brutally sarcastic dialogues for Kapoor- listen to how he refers Nikki Walia as a "crocodile wearing a chiffon saree" or how he singles out Farhan Akthar saying "subah se itne chimpanzees dekhe hain, chalo, ek to aadmi mila!" or how he shouts at Anurag Kashyap playing a scenarist saying "Aye Film Institute, mein yeh picture film festivals ke liye nahin bana raha hoon"

Alyy Khan plays the lecherous producer to perfection; Arjun Mathur is promising as Vikram's best friend; Isha Sharvani is surprisingly good as the naive starlet; Sanjay Kapoor adeaquately under plays the director and Farhan Akthar is pitch perfect as the struggling actor who will do anything to achieve stardom!

The film is peppered with special appearances by the biggest and the best of Bollywood! The ones who stand out are of course, Hrithik Roshan who plays his most well etched out character till date- the scheming superstar Zafar Khan; Karan Johar whose single line of dialogue inspires wolf whistles; Kareena Kapoor playing the snooty actress that she has been made out to be; Akshaye Khanna as confused and undecided as ever; Abhishek Bachchan playing the nice- boy to the producer and of course, Shah Rukh Khan who sums up the plot in 2 very well written sentences!

Luck By Chance is also a lesson in Production Design for many- the authentic sets and props add to the script. Cinematography is good and Editing is crisp. Shankar- Ehsaan- Loy's music goes well with the mood of the movie. However, Hrithik's homo erotic look in the circus song could have been avoided. This film is a must watch from the word "go"- the title card design is awesome too!

Honey Irani and Javed Akthar can really be proud of their progenies- Luck by Chance categorically declares the arrival of a talented director and showcases Farhan's acting skills very well. And Did I tell you that this is another golden feather in Konkona Sen Sharma's already overcrowded cap? Need I say more???