Luck by Chance

Young actor Vikram Jaisingh (Farhan Akhtar) arrives in Mumbai to make it as a Bollywood film star with the help of Abhimanyu (Arjun Mathur), an actor friend from his hometown, and their mutual friend Sameer, who works in a studio props department.Vikram befriends Abhimanyus neighbor, young actress Sona Mishra (Konkona Sen Sharma), with whom he eventually becomes romantically involved. Sona, the mistress of small-time producer Satish Chowdhury (Alyy Khan), who for three years has promised her a leading role in his dream project, meanwhile works in regional films and bit parts.Sona finds out that Satish has secured financing for the new project and meets him expecting him to cast her as second heroine, but he refuses saying that they need a new face and since she has acted in many regional films and other small roles she is no longer a fresh face. She argues that she can act well but he says that is not a major criterion these days in Bollywood.

Sona is crying when Satishs wife enters and asks her why she is crying. Sona answers by fabricating a lie about trouble at home to save both her and Satishs embarrassment. Sona while leaving the both of them gives photos of Vikram to Satish who shows it to his wife and who in turn shows them to Romy (Rishi Kapoor).Vikram is shortlisted for Romys new movie. Neena (Dimple Kapadia), the mom of Nikki (Isha Sharvani)the actress cast for the movie, was a big film actress in the heyday.

She sees Vikrams audition and tries to remember where has she met him before. Vikram had once approached her at a film fraternity party. Vikram is told his audition was for the lead in the film and that Neena has seen his audition. At home, he sees every movie Neena has starred in and he impresses her with his charm and knowledge about her work. Recalling past advice, Vikram successfully boosts a competing actors ego whose overconfident acting is rejected by the director.

Finally, Vikram is selected by Neena, Ranjit (director of the film Sanjay Kapoor) and Romys wife (Juhi Chawla), despite Romys desire to cast the other macho, hunky actor.On set Vikram becomes increasingly crafty and manipulative, while Nikki is smitten by him and sneaks into his room one night while her mother is asleep in an attempt to seduce him. Vikram succumbs to her advances and a secret affair starts between the two; the affair becomes stronger when Neena has to leave the set on business for a few days. Vikram tells Nikki he has no girlfriend. Meanwhile, Sona arrives at the hotel where the cast is staying to surprise Vikram.

Her friend who is also working on the film warns her of a blossoming romance between Vikram and Nikki. Since Vikram has stayed in touch with her, Sona doesnt take heed of her friends warning but discovers the truth when she sees Vikrams unexpectedly cold behavior towards her. Hurt, she leaves the hotel. After coming back, Neena instantly recognizes that something is going on between them and makes them understand that it will be mutually beneficial not to let the press and public know of their intimacy.Meanwhile, in Mumbai, news of the affair has leaked and a friend of Sona who works at a tabloid is assigned to prepare the article, which describes Vikram as a user who has shot to stardom by manipulating Neena and her daughter Nikki.

The article also mentions details of when he was struggling to land a role and Sonas part in his life as the forgotten girlfriend. Neena gets very upset and yells at the magazine editor and tells Nikki to stay away from Vikram. Vikram and Nikki have a fight, and Vikram shows his frustration to Sona as he believes she is the one responsible for the article.Eventually the film is released and it becomes a hit. Vikram rises to stardom but at the expense of his friends.

At a party, he meets his idol Shah Rukh Khan, who advises him to not fall into the trappings of stardom and to always stay close to the people who stood by him when he was a nobody. He tries to get back with Sona, but she points out that he only wants to be with her because he is selfish and feels guilty. She refuses and walks out of his life. Sona soon gets good roles on television and is interviewed by a reporter for her fan following. The film ends with her telling the reporter that she is happy living the life of an independent and somewhat successful actress instead of being upset about not becoming a major movie star.

The film was well received by critics, Anupama Chopra of NDTV wrote, Zoya pokes fun at Bollywood but she does it with a great affection. There are some lovely little moments like the star daughter in a super short skin-tight outfit struggling to touch her producers feet without splitting a seam. But what makes Luck By Chance compelling is the layers beneath the laughs. Though the first half wobbles precariously as the script struggles to find a momentum, but thankfully the narrative flows better in the latter half and culminates in a satisfying, bittersweet end. In the review at UAE Daily the United Arab Emirates reviewer said, One of the prime reasons why Luck By Chance works is because [of] the writing.

[.] Right from the characters, to the individualistic scenes, to the way Zoya puts them in a sequence, Luck By Chance is easily one of the most cohesive scripts this side of the Atlantic. If Zoyas writing is superb, her execution of the written material deserves distinction marks. The Times of India said, Luck By Chance highlights how the film industry give regards to everything else but the story when making a movie and ironically weaves a fascinating story using that paradox. Noyon Jyoti Parasara of AOL.

in cited some drawbacks and said, Luck By Chance provides you some smiles throughout the movie. However, it fails to leave you with the content smile that a feel-good movie ideally aims to do. The movie achieved 71 percent positive rating, by seven critics, on the aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times said, It might seem as if Bollywood couldnt possibly satirize itself the genre is already so over-the-top but Zoya Akhtar manages the trick deftly in Luck by Chance. [.

] A fabulous circus-theme musical number pulls out all the stops, but a scene in which an acting teacher explains why Hindi stars have to be more talented than those in Hollywood is a subtle comic gem. [.] [I]t is Mr. Akhtar whose understated performance holds together this far-ranging, cameo-filled film. He manages to remain sympathetic even while wreaking romantic havoc.

Frank Lovece of Film Journal International characterized it as, The Player meets All About Eve in this seriocomic satire of the Bollywood film industry by a first-time director whose collaring of over a dozen major Hindi stars for cameos speaks well of its biting accuracy, while Kyle Smith of the New York Post found it gently humorous and almost totally lacking in the cynicism, self-hatred and ennui that characterizes inside-Hollywood flicks.