~KONKONA SEN SHARMA FC ~ New article p.61 - Page 30

Aww. I really can't to see the movie! Have you or aishu seen it yet? I am only hearing good things about her! Thats so nice of Zoya and yes, Koko is just the best and she doesn't even know it.

No, I haven't yet. Been busy here, but this review is from the Bombaybitch of all places. A very good review here, damn!
Movie Review: Luck By Chance | 2009-01-29

Don't take your chances with this one, you'll be lucky if you catch this before everyone else does

By chance a friend asked me before the late night preview show of the film began. "Which is your back to back film?" I blanked out. At 2am in the morning, on my way back home, the answer came as an epiphany. "This is my back to back film."



"Auto, wapas chalo," I almost skidded back. Only, I couldn't go back to the theatre to roll the film again, but in my recall, I was awestruck for encore.

Count my stars, yes am counting. How many stars can you spot in 'Luck By Chance'?

A film about strugglers has got to be peppered with as many stars you can pack in for a film's luck at the ticket window.

But before I review, a film where Farhan Akhtar is the struggler? His hunger as a struggler is about as sincere as a Lokhandwala beefcake mulling over his cup of cappuccino at CCD (Cafe Coffee Day).

Once you let that notion float away, you know the film is about the luck dice rolling on a casino roulette where the stakes are very-very high.



'Luck By Chance' is a colourful maze of people changing colours so often; it's surreal when things can be this real. To get under the skin of the character, actors have to apply so many coatings of war paint, with each peel, a shade shadier.

"Mera wala pink" if you thought, naah, pink just got navy blued here. Coco Chanel by love.

The film begins with Sona (Konkona Sen) arriving in the city to make it. She quickly becomes the starlet waiting for the big one, doing Bhojpuri films and 'Teer Aur Talwar' type potboilers to pay for her bags. Vikram (Farhan Actor) hones his Delhi boy skills at Nand Kishore Institute of ham-acting. Zaffar Khan (Hrithik Roshan) short changes his mentor Rolly Polly's (Rishi Kapoor) film to bag a K-Jo plum pudding project. Vikram's lucky run in with Neena Walia (Dimple Kapadia), mother of Nikki Walia (Isha Sharvani) lands him the lead role in 'Dil Ki Aag', being produced by Rolly and directed by Ranjit (Sanjay Kapoor). Sona is Vikram's girlfriend before he gets his big break, after which she's history.



When you can have Aamir Khan grandly opening your film and Shahrukh Khan giving it a subtle closure, what have you struggled for Miss Zoya Akhtar? You're one lucky girl, no two chances about that. Given the clout you Akhtars now have in the industry, which idiot would say no to appear in your ensemble cast.

I have always held my own, not wanting to see Farhan Actor, only Farhan Director, but in a scene where he has an emotional outburst, I dropped my guard and will hike up Pali Hill to give him a hug.

Konkona is my fave gal. She is simply flawless. Isha Shravani is an angel who 'lives in a cake' and you can bet she is made of strawberry and cream.

Dimple Kapadia, as pug faced Rishi Kapoor says is 'a crocodile in a chiffon saree'. She sinks her teeth in her role of a scheming filmy mother, like she would totter around town with her Birkin bag, without a conscience for the less fortunate.

Juhi Chawla, as Rishi Kapoor's hare brained half, is side-splitting, at her kurkure best. Hrithik makes fun on his own terpsichorean skills. Rishi Kapoor is brilliant as a moneyed old hand churning the same sh*t over and over to keep the Bollywood spirit 'alive'.



Except for a stray Shankar-Ehsan-Loy song, everything in the film is perfect. Cinematography, art direction, costumes (trendsetting) and casting. The dialogues are crisp, and crackling with humour which is at once clever and acerbic.

'Luck By Chance' is my choice for the year's best film. The announcement in a year when '3 Idiots', 'My Name Is Khan', 'Kaminey', 'Delhi 6', 'Love Aaj Kal' are due. Too early? Don't be too sure. LBC cannot be fully comprehended in one show. But, that's the Critique Bitch speaking.

Will it do well outside the metros? Unlikely. Business will be average, yet why is this film a new wave classic? Because it precedes the new wave which is yet to catch on, and once that happens, in retrospect, we'll run to LBC which started it all. A film that wishes to deconstruct how a film is not necessarily aiming to be cult.
http://www.bombaybitch.com/site/movie_review__luck_by_chance/

I am going to post the recent filmfare interview scanned

Filfare 4th February - Page 1

Wow Best film! Hrithik said it will be one of the best films of the year, if not the best too.

@Sunaina: thanks dear! I love both of the pictures.. her eyes are very expressive!

@Sunaina:Hey, thanks for the scans. I always wanted to get the October issue of Filmfare in 2007. But being in the states, it is not like I can go to a newstand. They have an interview of her in there and the cover was talking about the actors, who do don't necessarily do the commercial thing. Man, I can't wait until this week is over so I can watch LBC. 3 exams to worry about it. Urggggggggggggggh!
From Shreyas to Konkona:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tIOFNKWm1VM/RyRY4DrOSuI/AAAAAAAAAOE/vgXUbzUSQ60/s1600-h/Filmfare.jpg

Best of luck with exams, Nimmi! I'll be watching LBC after Friday too.. that's when my last midterm is. Hope it goes by fast. 😆😆

p.s. I have never heard of Charulata before?

Kully: Sorry, hon, I just saw your response. It is a brilliant film by Satyajit Ray. He is one of the best directors in Indian history. Zareena posted an article by Sudhir Mishra, one of my favorite directors that basically said that if we had sent his films then we would have won an Oscar by now, which is true. But unfortunately we haven't sent Ratnam's Tamil films or some Malaylam films or other Bengali films because the National Film Awards Jury is Bombay dominated.
I have seen the film, and it is just wonderful. In fact the director himself admitted it was the films where he made the least mistakes. He is that humble.
Spoiler: Here is an excerpt from awebsite dedicated to him that I love.

Charulata (The Lonely Wife)
1964, India. 117 min, B/W, In Bengali with subtitles. Summary Charulata is based on a story by Rabindranath Tagore, Nastanirh (The broken Nest) and set in Calcutta in the late nineteenth century. Bengal Renaissance is at its peak and India is under the British rule. The film revolves around Charulata / Charu (Madhabi Mukherjee), the childless, intelligent and beautiful wife of Bhupati (Sailen Mukherjee). He edits and publishes a political newspaper. Bhupati is an upper class Bengali intellectual with a keen interest in politics and the freedom movement. Charu is interested in the arts, literature and poetry. Though Bhupati loves his wife, he has no time for her. She has little to do in the house run by a fleet of servants. Sensing her boredom, Bhupati invites Charu's elder brother Umapada and wife Manda to live with them. Umapada helps in running of the magazine and the printing press. Manda with her silly and crude ways is no company for the sensitive and intelligent Charulata. Amal (Soumitra Chatterjee), Bhupati's younger cousin comes on a visit. Bhupati asks him to encourage Charu's cultural interests. Amal is young, handsome and is of the same age group as Charu. He has literary ambitions and shares her interests in poetry. He provides her with much needed intellectual companionship and attention. An intimate relationship develops between Charulata and Amal. There is a hint of rivalry when she publishes a short story on her own without his knowledge. He realizes that Charulata is in love with him but is reluctant to reciprocate due to the guilt involved. Meanwhile, Charu's brother and sister-in-law who were guests in the house swindle Bhupati of his money and run away. It destroys Bhupati's newspaper and the press. The episode shatters Bhupati who admits his hurt to Amal. He tells Amal that now Amal is the only one he can trust. Amal is overcome with guilt of betraying his cousin. He is also uncomfortable with Charu's higher intellect that he has helped nurture. He leaves unannounced, to marry and go away to England for higher studies. He leaves behind a letter to Charu. Charu is heartbroken but hides her disappointment. Bhupati accidentally enters her room and finds her crying over Amal. Bhupati realizes Charu's feelings for Amal. He is broken, shocked and bewildered by it. He rushes out of the house, wanders aimlessly in his carriage. On his return, Charu and Bhupati make a hesitant gesture to reach out, but their extended hands remain frozen in a tentative gesture.

http://www.satyajitray.org/films/charu.htm

Interesting fact is that Konkona's mom debuted in a film with him called Teen Kanya or translated to Three Daughters. And she also learned how to direct from him too by working as a technician with him.

By the way, I ranted in the BW section when I heard that there were rumors in Mid-day that Bhansali was remaking it. Everyone was a bit tickled to how offended I was. Those were the days when I was a few months old. Anyways, I found an article about her here. It seems Rishi was unable to meet Konkona though he wanted to. It seems the Kapoors really like her. I have seen Kareena praise her profusely, saying she wouldn't be able to do as good of a job as she did in Page 3, and also Shammi Kapoor has said I forget when that she was one of the best actresses right now in Bollywood.

Rishi's desire to meet Konkona! 2 Feb 2009, 0000 hrs IST, TNN

Rishi Kapoor had a whale of a time working on Zoya Akhtar's Luck By Chance and the accolades his performance ' as the loud and boisterous Rishi KapoorMore Pics producer Romy Roly ' is garnering is just the icing on the cake. And while the actor ' who will next be seen in Rakeysh OmPrakash Mehra's Delhi 6 ' can't stop raving about the fun he had off screen and on screen, he reveals that he has only one regret ' that he did not get to meet the talented Konkona SenSharma while on the sets. The actor said, "It's a pity that I did not get to meet Konkona at all. I've seen her work and I think she's a brilliant actress. I was actually looking forward to meeting her, more so, since she will also be doing Wake Up Sid with Ranbir. It would have been interesting to catch up with her." When Konkona heard about this, the actress was extremely touched. "It's a huge compliment coming from an actor of Mr Kapoor's calibre. He's always been one of my favourite actors and I too was hoping to meet him," said Konkona. Well, with Ranbir and Konkona's film together due to begin soon, meeting Kapoor Sr should not be that difficult a task at all. Right Konkona?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_Buzz/Rishis_desire_to_meet_Konkona/articleshow/4059730.cms

Seems like an interesting movie. I'll watch it for sure. And I do agree with koko, it's not good to re-create classics like that