29 January,2020 08:45 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Picture Courtesy: Official Instagram Account/Tiger Baby
"Sometimes I get an idea for Cinema. And when you get an idea that you fall in love with, this is a glorious day"- David Lynch. This quote about Cinema perfectly fits for Zoya Akhtar and her immensely charming directorial debut, Luck By Chance. What can be better for a filmmaker to make her debut with a film about films? It doesn't take much time for Akhtar to suck us into the world she creates with her paraphernalia. Given she assisted Yash Chopra on Lamhe, his most audacious film as a director, she couldn't have settled for anything that didn't pierce straight into the heart, simultaneously taking care of the aesthetics.
For anyone seamlessly enamoured by Hindi Cinema, it's films, people, and the entire process of making a piece of work, Luck By Chance is filled with lovely moments that Akhtar has handled with both tenderness and tenacity. The filmmaker cares for her characters and allows everyone in an intriguing and impressive ensemble to have a moment of glory. There are plenty of moments of pain and pathos, and also pure exuberance.
It's hard to pick which scenes stand out from the other, but since every moment in the film is special, here are the ten best:
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How often do we get to meet the people who contribute equally in making a film? The opening credits of Luck By Chance are arguably the best in Hindi Cinema. Akhtar shoots these unknown faces with warmth and care, almost making them the heroes of her film. We meet the people who make movie posters, a security guard outside a movie studio, an ageing man designing actresses' costumes, and also the man who sits in a projection room for the whole day.
These people are important, and never before any filmmaker attempted to give them the spotlight. If Farah Khan knows how to end her films with a bang, with her ingenious and inventive closing credits, Akhtar shows how to begin them.
Is there any greater moment for an aspiring actress than to meet a producer for a potential role? Konkona Sen Sharma nails the nuances and the palpable excitement one feels on the opportunity of grabbing a part. Sona Mishra isn't exactly a struggler, she has shared the screen space with Aamir Khan, been directed by Rajkumar Hirani, and is also doing a film produced by Pinky Productions. But every time she senses she has landed a role, her face emotes the kind of joy only an actor wanting to make it big in Bollywood would understand. Akhtar, given her fine understanding of performances, not only writes meaty parts for her actors, but also chooses the right actors for such meaty parts.
Hrithik Roshan, in his two-decade career, has been impressive in a lot of films like Lakshya, Fiza, and more recently, War. The closest he came to being real was in this film, where he played Zaffar Khan, a Superstar to the hoot. Think of him as Aaryan Khanna from Fan, a blend of humility and arrogance, and narcissism on his nose. But in one scene, we also see his human side when he indulges in a wordless conversation with a bunch of Street kids. It's a beautiful moment that lingers in the mind for long.
Luck By Chance, after Om Shanti Om, is a rare film where every cameo stands out. One of them is by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who calls himself as Torrent's biggest star. He's writing filmmaker Rommy Rolly's next film, starring Zaffar and being directed by Ranjit Rolly. The team is in a fix since Zaffar has refused to play a negative role at the last moment. Kashyap suggests an idea that Rolly quickly dismisses, quipping, "Oh institute, I am not making this film for a film festival." In this one scene, Akhtar summarises Bollywood's obsession with commerce and box-office hunger and also how Kashyap functions as a filmmaker. Sheer Genius!
Ask any filmmaker how many times stars have avoided his calls and messages. The number could be appalling. Rommy Rolly, played by Rishi Kapoor in one of his most memorable roles, is one such filmmaker, who's being snubbed by the very star he created. When we meet him for the first time, he's interacting with the media and jubilantly declares, "I can never imagine a film without Zaffar, it won't come to my mind." Look at him when he's afraid he may walk out of his next, the crippling fear and the subsequent heartbreak can be seen from afar. And when he finally breaks down, you may shed a few tears too. His one line is what happens to be the brutal truth about Bollywood, "We have to run behind actors of our children's age for dates."
Rommy Rolly is back to being feisty and a bundle of fun. When he's asked who'll work in his film now, he quips, "Everyone wants to work in Rollywood." Well, really? And then we get another set of fantastic and imaginatively used cameos. Akshaye Khanna, in his vintage cerebral avatar, Vivek Oberoi, Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and of course, Ranbir Kapoor. All politely and hilariously decline the part. And never once we see the filmmaker's face during these incessant rejections. Maybe Akhtar didn't want us to show another heartbreaking moment for him.
Karan Johar also makes a cameo in Luck By Chance as Karan Johar himself. It's a party to celebrate the success of Vikram and Nikki's debut film. These are played by Farhan Akhtar and Isha Sharvani. Zaffar greets them and goes on to have a conversation with Johar. He says the guy is in the party only because he turned the film down, and goes on to take examples of how Zanjeer and Baazigar were turned down by multiple actors that led to the rise and rise of Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. Maybe in Bollywood, behind every successful man, there isn't always a woman, but also another man's no!
Nikki Walia is another cracker of a character essayed by Isha Sharwani with a complete sense of abandonment. Good thing the film came out at a time when the word Nepotism was yet to be discovered. She was the ultimate product of Nepotism! Immediately after being swayed by staggering success, she's struck by the dark side of the industry- The rumours. Vikram is accused of using her as a ladder and this shatters both. The scene is reflective of how journalism functions in the country today, especially in Bollywood, where tantalising is more important than the truth!
Hindi Cinema is all about a journey into the world of fantasy, fetishising Bollywood stars for their aura, but Luck By Chance gazes at these stars with the lenses of realism. Shah Rukh Khan, for instance, enters into the frame not spreading his arms and charming the hell out of his heroine, but casually with a bunch of friends who actually exist in reality. He bumps into Vikram and asks him to join them. And then comes the ultimate piece of wisdom- Never forget those who stood by you when you were nobody. The way he delivers these lines, even Vikram before he can imbibe what he said, cannot help but be, of course, charmed. Why does Khan have to be charismatic all the time? Even when he's delivering a sermon?
Sona couldn't become a big star, but she chooses not to be unsettled about it. She chooses to be content that she's a good actor doing good work. Sona and Konkona Sen Sharma are very similar in their thoughts and repertoire. As Sona sits in the taxi and proceeds for a shoot, we get a close-up of Vikram on the hoardings of the city, suggesting he's now a bonafide movie star. The mind might be thinking of him, but as the end credits begin to roll, the heart yearns for Sona.
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