Luck by Chance

<p>Vikram Jaisingh, an aspiring from , arrives in with dreams of becoming a star. He reconnects with his friend Abhimanyu, through whom he meets Sona Mishra, a struggling actress relegated to supporting roles. The two begin a romantic relationship. While together, Vikram encourages Sona to enter a contest to win a refrigerator, replacing her old one. Sona has long been promised a lead role by small-time Satish, who eventually secures funding for a new project. Expecting to be cast, Sona visits him, but he dismisses her. Composing herself, she leaves behind headshots of Vikram under the pretext of delivering photos for a relative. Satish’s wife notices Vikram’s pictures and forwards them to Romy Rolly, a prominent producer seeking a new male lead after a major star, Zafar Khan, exits his film. Vikram is invited to audition and later meets Neena Walia, a fading film actress whose daughter, Nikki, has been cast opposite the new . Vikram flatters Neena, who in turn influences the team to cast him. He secures the part, and he and Sona celebrate. During filming, Nikki becomes infatuated with Vikram, and they begin a clandestine . When Sona visits the set unexpectedly, she senses a change in Vikram’s behavior. Neena soon learns of the affair and urges the pair to maintain the image of being single to preserve the film’s publicity. As rumors spread, Sona’s journalist friend Tanveer publishes an portraying Vikram as an opportunist who manipulated multiple women. After the article is released, Vikram’s relationship with Nikki ends, and he confronts Sona, accusing her of involvement. She denies it and confronts Tanveer for the breach of trust. Despite the scandal, Romy Rolly’s film releases and becomes a box-office success, catapulting Vikram to stardom. Meanwhile, Sona wins the refrigerator contest, a reminder of Vikram’s earlier gesture. Nikki grapples with heartbreak, but Neena advises her to embrace the publicity to further her career, reflecting on her own past sacrifices in the industry. At a post-release party, Vikram meets his idol, Shah Rukh Khan, who advises him not to forget those who supported him before fame. Taking the advice to heart, Vikram visits Sona to apologise. While he expresses remorse, Sona chooses to move on, recognizing his true nature. As she leaves, she reflects contentedly on her life, valuing her independence and resilience despite never achieving stardom. was produced by and under the banner of and marked the directorial debut of . She revealed that the first draft of the script was handwritten during a trip to in , nearly seven years before the film’s release. “The first film is the easiest to write because it’s usually what the person knows—their personal graphs, milieu, and feelings,” she said. ” is not about established actors, but those who are waiting for things to happen.” Zoya drew inspiration from films about the , such as (1971), (1995), and (2007), and noted that she required little external research due to her own familiarity with the industry. The dialogues were written by , who, according to Zoya, brought his “bizarre sense of humor” to the script. Farhan Akhtar trained extensively for his role, including achieving six-pack abs with the help of fitness trainer Cheetah Yagnesh, who also made a cameo as his character’s coach. Filming faced several challenges, including Mumbai’s unpredictable monsoon rains, which delayed a song sequence with Hrithik Roshan and damaged the set. According to Farhan, concluded in October 2008. cast her brother, , in the lead role following a suggestion by director , after seeing his performance in . Zoya explained, “Farhan was the perfect choice because he knows the industry in and out. He is smart and bright, and both of us have been working together for years.” The film’s large ensemble cast presented logistical challenges. Zoya noted the difficulty in choosing actors who could convincingly play themselves while fitting seamlessly into the film’s narrative. In addition to Farhan, the cast included Konkona Sen Sharma, , , , , , , and . Zoya cast her parents, and , in cameo appearances. Kapadia was chosen to portray a fading film star, with Zoya commenting, “Dimple has played it edgy. She’s all warm, soft sunshine and then there’s a flip and she’s hard, cold, steely.” Sharvani reunited with after appearing together in a television commercial, while joined the cast as Minty, the wife of producer Romy Rolly. The producers opted for a restrained marketing campaign, encouraging audiences to discover the film organically. The main trailer was released in late December 2008, offering a glimpse of the central characters and tone. Promotion was handled by BigFlix, a division of , and included signed music CDs by and as prizes. The film was promoted across all 112 stores in 10 Indian cities, as well as internationally through their platform. A notable campaign titled “Auto By Chance” was launched in in collaboration with and . Ten autorickshaws branded with the film’s visuals offered free rides to passengers in suburban areas. Selected passengers were interviewed live by and shared their experience on air. Additionally, Indian gaming portal hosted a microsite featuring the promotional game ” – Lucky Break.” was initially scheduled for release on 23 January 2009, alongside . However, its release was postponed to 30 January 2009. The film was released on 900 screens worldwide across 27 countries, with over 700 screens in India and the remainder in overseas markets such as the , , the , , , , and . The of was published by UTV Home Video, and its television premiere took place on . opened to modest occupancy in Indian theatres, averaging between 25% to 30% on its opening day. According to trade analyst Joginder Tuteja, occupancy increased slightly to around 50% over the opening weekend. While the film had a lukewarm domestic opening, its critical acclaim helped sustain its performance in urban centers, and it was ultimately declared a hit in India. Internationally, the film performed respectably. In the United States, it debuted at number 32 and grossed $217,439 (approximately ₹1.06 crore) from 61 screens, with a per-screen average of $3,556. In the United Kingdom, it opened at number 21, earning £73,822 (approximately ₹50.95 lakh) from 50 screens, with a per-screen average of £1,476. The film also performed well in Australia. grossed approximately $3.91 million in India and a worldwide total of $4.50 million. received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. On the site , the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. of praised ‘s satirical yet affectionate take on the , writing, “Zoya pokes fun at Bollywood but she does it with great affection… What makes compelling is the layers beneath the laughs.” While she noted that the first half struggled with pacing, she commended the film’s satisfying and bittersweet conclusion. A reviewer for highlighted the film’s strong writing and execution, describing it as “one of the most cohesive scripts this side of the ” and commending Akhtar’s direction. appreciated its thematic exploration, stating, ” highlights how the film industry gives regard to everything but the story when making a movie, and ironically weaves a fascinating story using that paradox.” Noyon Jyoti Parasara of noted that while the film was entertaining and offered “some smiles”, it lacked the emotional fulfillment of a traditional feel-good film. of wrote, ” deftly satirizes Bollywood… 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.” He also praised ‘s performance, calling it “understated” and effective. of compared the film to (1992) and (1950), describing it as a ” ” and noting the large number of celebrity cameos as a reflection of the film’s sharp industry commentary.</p>