LUCK BY CHANCE

REALISTIC AND REFRESHING !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heartiest Congratulations to Zoya Akhtah for her marvellous direction of LBC.It was pleasure indeed watching Luck By Chance!
The Akhtar family is proving beyond doubt that talent runs in blood and is passed through genes.Farhan and Zoya Akhtar are not only making Javed proud,but are showing great promise and potential,and one expects more of such and even better work from then in future

Though the story of LBC is nothing new,and its all heard and all seen,still the presentation is great,refreshing and revealing!The movie bares the underbelly of the harsh Bollywood industry,but subtly,emphasizing more on the struggling of aspirants in filmdom,in the ruthless city of Mumbai.and meshed in this struggle is an unsuccessful love story.Farhan Akhtar plays a struggling star,who falls in love with a small time extra artist,who is waiting for a big break ,played by Konkana Sen Sharma.While she keeps waiting,Farhan,gets a break,luckily by chance,when,a superstar,played by Hrithik,leaves a movie,and the producer ,looking for a new face grabs him.The film has very naturally and undramatically depicted the change that comes in Farhans attitude to life and people around him,where he wants to compromise with nothing that may hamper his rise,even his one time girl friend and support.

Though the plot is old,and gives glimpse of many such movies on the Mumbai Film Industry,like Khoya Khoya Chand,Mein Madhuri Dixit banna chahti hoon,Last Lair,and many more,it still appears fresh,due to the lack of melodrama and the underplaying of events.The muck under the dazzling glow of the tinseltown and the shattering blows of the venomous pangs of the dream-merchants have been portrayed naturally and realistically.LCB has vividly portrayed the struggle in the film industry,the tough competition,the long wait for a break,the false promises,shattered dreams,exploitation,long and unhealthy working hours,intolerable work conditions,bitching,politics,facade,farce,disrespect for individuals,insensitivity to feelings,man-eat-man attitude,casting couch,power game and above all the ,thee success mantra of being at the right place,at the right time,with the right person and with the right attitude!

The story and the screenplay are entertaining and in spite of the slow pace of the movie,manage to steal the attention of the audience.Cinematography and picturization are good,with excellent music and songs.The background song bagia bagia,is not only touchy but also very apt for the movie and the situation.The choreography of the dance on the enchanting number ,Jhoomo re Jhoomo re,jhoomoo reaaa,picturised on a circus theme,and performed almost as an item number by Hrhitik,is really colorful,enchanting and melodious and reminds of the folk songs of Rudali and Paheli.Rishi Kapoor has done justice to his role,as the producer of the film,in the movie,and so has Juhi Chawla,as his wife and a typical rich punju lady from Mumbai.Dimple has looked ravishing,even at this age,as the superstar of yester years and proves that old wine always tastes better! It was nice to see Sanjay Kapoor on screen after we had almost forgotten his existence.

My vocabulary fails in finding words to describe Konkna.Her performance is par excellence and she definitely deserves all the possible praises and awards for this movie.Her husky voice,reminiscent of that of young Jaya Bhaduri,gives that real perfection to Konkanas histrionic talents.She is probably the only actor,whose moods and emotions are reflected not by the face,or the look,but by the overall appearance.She actually manages to look admirably and repulsively ugly when she is sad or dejected,bringing the scene and the character almost to life,something that I think none of the Indian actresses have ever managed to do.Farhan has really looked fresh and young and has acted as a novice with seasoned expertise.Though I have already become a fan of his acting,in just two movies,I have my doubts if he can diversify his versatility later.Though Hrithik is my favorite,I was disappointed by him in LBC,since he seems to have worked very hard here,to grab the lead role in Karan Johars next film,looking quite gayish in costumes and mannerism and noticeable effeminate in his dance on ,jhoomo re,Jhoomo re.In fact Farhan has looked and danced better,in the small part of the same song done by him in the end.

Kudos to Zoya Akhtak for her great direction,which has gone a long way,in helping the movie in earning the well deserved rare reviews ranging from three and a half to four and a half stars.We look forward to more,from the Ahktars!

Col Sanjay Kapoor VSM