Luck by Chance***1/2

*ing: Farhan Akhtar, Konkana Sen Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla and Hrithik Roshan along with Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor in special appearances.

Directed by Zoya Akhtar

Luck by Chance, which launches the career of Zoya Akhtar as a director, is one of the most decent films to release in a long time. This past year has been a comedy of errors for Bollywood with one magnum opus disaster after another. The over-hyped Ghajini and star-studded Yuvvraaj being two prime examples. But if Luck by Chance, the first major release of the year, is anything to go by, this year will be one of promising films. Even though the story of Luck by Chance is hardly groundbreaking, it is the collective effort behind the film, which makes it so strong.
With the odd pairing of Farhan Akhtar and Konkana Sen Sharma and supporting cast of fabulous actors like Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla and Hrithik Roshan, the film makes its point.
Tackling the careers of two struggling actors in the city of dreams that is Mumbai, one sees the plight of making it big in Bollywood. And yet there is no moralistic preaching which is what makes this film such a delight.
Farhan Akhtar plays Vikram, an ambitious, talented man who wants to break into Indian films and will do anything to get there. In contrast to Farhan is his girlfriend Sona, played by Konkana Sen Sharma – who shares the dream but not the ambition and ruthlessness that Vikram plays to his advantage.
And their stories are neatly interlinked with the lives of producer Rolly (Rishi Kapoor) whose idea of great films is driven by superstar actors, former actress Nina, played by the superb Dimple Kapadia who relives her glorious days through her daughter, Niki -Isha Sherwani – who is also an actress and superstar actor Zafar Khan (Hrithik Roshan) who’d rather work with a big star cast and director than in a film that is “different”.
When actors fail to challenge stereotypes, new actors enter the arena and Luck by Chance manages to make this point superbly.
This is an interesting film to watch for a variety of reasons. The story doesn’t get boring and the ending is completely unpredictable. The film is not just about two actors but takes a sharp and humorous look into the glamorous world of cinema without tearing it down.

Outsiders enter the industry when major stars stay away from edgy roles. This fact is established very well with a cameo from Karan Johar who cited Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan as examples. Similarly, star kids don’t have it easy when former stars-turned-parents relive their days through their children. And Bollywood is full of star families and kids. How filmmakers get “inspired” by foreign cinema and often sheer luck will determine the fate of many. This in a nutshell defines Luck By Chance. And the reason why it works is the way the film has been made. Zoya Akhtar has kept the film tight and sharp without loosing focus.

Finally there is the casting of the film, which is a wonder to watch. Farhan Akhtar makes another splash after Rock On and this time around, he manages to make his mark.

The frustration behind struggling in the world’s largest film industry, doubt that surrounds him and the sly change in character – Farhan plays emotions well. He doesn’t light up the screen as fabulously as Hrithik Roshan. He may not be star material but surely as an actor, Farhan is one to watch.
His co-star Konkana Sen Sharma, as always, is a delightful performer. Her pairing with Farhan is odd but it is charming enough to work. She is a hugely talented actress and in this film, she delivers another stellar performance. The individual scenes between Farhan and Konkana are gripping and completely absorbing.
In supporting roles, two actors who make this film incredibly funny are Rishi Kapoor as the producer who has to deal with star tantrums of everyone and Dimple Kapadia as the has-been mom who is more of a diva than anything else. They are excellent.
Hrithik looks fabulous and does justice to his small role.
One reason why Luck By Chance has made so much news is because of the various cameos from some of the biggest actors of this generation. The one cameo that stands out and makes the most impact belongs to Shah Rukh Khan.
Add all this with a fabulous score and Luck By Chance has all the ingrediants to make a highly entertaining film. Shankar-Ehsan-Loy has proven once again why they are the next best trio of musicians after A.R. Rahman. In particular, the tunes ‘Baawre’ and ‘Sapno Se Bhare Naina’ make for excellent songs.
Overall, this is an entertaining film. The cameos keep appearing as a nice surprise but they are never the focal point. Unlike most Indian films, which almost always go for a predictable, happily-ever-after ending, this film remains more realistic. This is no Om Shanti Om but it is definitely worth a watch.

– Maheen Sabeeh

*YUCK
**WHATEVER
***GOOD
****SUPER
*****AWESOME

We built this city on rock and roll!

Ali Zafar’s G-string jam session united Atif Aslam and Gohar Mumtaz,
Noori, Zeb and Haniya among many others. Instep gives you the lowdown…
“Atif and I are friends.”– Gohar Mumtaz (Jal)
After years of rivalry, Atif Aslam and Gohar Mumtaz have buried the hatchet. The two singers who broke off after just one song and went on to pursue separate careers, finally united at the infamous jam session.
“Ali Zafar invited both of us to come and perform and we both did just that. There was no confrontation. At the Lux Style Awards after party, I had gone up to Atif and had said that we should let things be in the past and he was of the same view. So at the jam session, we sang, we played and it was a lot of fun,” explained Gohar Mumtaz.
“We sang ‘Dil Harey’, ‘Aadat’, ‘Lamhey’ and Ali Noor came and sang and we just sang everything. It was great. Infact I’ve told Ali that he should do this regularly. The time is now to get together and show a united front.”

“I saw this jam as a Pakistani music industry union” – Atif Aslam

“Ali Zafar is a dear friend. And he called and invited me so I just went. This night wasn’t about competing with each other. I saw this jam as the Pakistani music industry union. We sang everything and everyone’s songs.”
The Atif-Gohar reunion is something that is being talked about. But Atif feels that it was time to simply move on. “Gohar and I are not enemies. It may seem that way because of the hype that is often created by the media. But it was fun playing with him. We sang ‘Dil Harey’ and so many other songs. It isn’t about individuals. It is about how we take the industry forward. Shiraz Uppal was there and Zeb and Haniya, so many of us were just together, singing and jamming. It was great!”

“In these turbulent times, jamming together was exactly what all of us needed.” – Ali Zafar

“Music and the entertainment industry as a whole has taken a backseat. It is crucial for a country to maintain a vibrantt cultural scene. And music is a huge part of it. And that is why I did this jam session,” said Ali Zafar after the session.
“In these turbulent times, jamming together was exactly what all of us needed. It was about bringing everyone together and just having a great time. All of us feel that we need to create an environment which is positive and we managed that. We didn’t just sing our own songs. We sang everyone’s tunes.

We played guitars and bongos. Atif and Gohar sang after a gap of maybe five years and it was great to see that happen. Sikander Mufti Farhad Humayoun, Shiraz Uppal, Club Caramel, Zeb and Haniya, Mekaal Hasan – all of them were there and just having a great time together. It was historic! It was the industry united together.”

“We sang the night away.” – Ali Hamza (Noori)
Describing the scene, Ali Hamza said to Instep, “It was like friends hanging out together. We sang, we played, and we talked the night away. We did medleys and covers and it was fantastic. Atif and Gohar sang, Ali Noor and Shiraz and so many others., sang and it was just a great night for music.”

“There were no prejudices or bad feelings towards each other at all.” – Shiraz Uppal
Like Ali Noor, Shiraz Uppal too is of the view that while such jam sessions are rare, they are magical.

“It was incredible. I was a part of something like this for the first and the energy was fabulous. There were no prejudices or bad feelings towards each other at all, no hidden agends, just pure musical fun. We sang everything from The Police to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to our own stuff and it was great. I don’t know if we can ever repeat such a night but it really was extraordinary!”

“It was a very positive scene.”
- Farhad Humayoun (Overload)

“It was a small scene. Maybe 35 people. There were no intrusions. Except for Mekaal Hasan, everybody sang or played. I played the bongos with Sikander Mufti and I sang as well. Atif and Gohar sang together. Noori boys and Shiraz Uppal, Adnan and Kiran of Club Caramel – everyone was together and there was such a positive vibe throughout. It wasn’t a gig nor was it one of those senseless parties. It was impromptu and casual and just a lot of fun.”

“I’ll remember this jam for the rest of my life.” – Ali Noor (Noori)
Now that Noori is hell bent on making a comeback, it was delightful to hear brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza joining in the merry night.
“It was a happening scene. It is very rare when something of this sort happens,” said Ali Noor. “It was magical. Music can really transcend any negative feelings. And this night there were no musical differences or any thing like that. As all of us sang and jammed together, there was an emotion prevailing. And it may not always happen because something like this is just so rare. It was a lot of fun. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

- Sikander Mufti, Zeb and Haniya were unavailable for comments.
- Musicians were talking to Maheen Sabeeh