Luck By Chance --- Movie Review

The second BIG film of both Farhan and 2009 , Luck By Chance , is out now and the film stars a lot of big names of bollywood in special appearances apart from Farhan and company . The film also has some good actors like Konkana Sen Sharma , Rishi Kapoor , Juhi Chawla , Saurabh Shukla and Dimple Kapadia . The film has been directed by the debutant director Zoya Akhtar . She has also decided to start with Direction and I hope she has no plans to shift to acting just like her brother has . As soon as the promos of the film were on air , expectations started to rise and people were expecting a good film in the beginning the of the year after the disappointing 2008 . CC2C has already dampened the spirits to an extent and I decided to watch this one for a change .

The film has been publicised as a Film on Film Industry and no film except OSO has worked which was based on Film Industry . Luck By Chance , according to me is more of a Love Story that has Bollywood as the set-up . The film's story is nothing but a little bit of Raju Ban Gaya Gentlemen and a little of Fashion and a little of some other films . Nothing so new about it that we don't know . People know about the compromises and sacrifices that one has to make to land up a career in the glamour world . When I saw the film's promos I was expecting to see the struggle of the lead character and quite opposite to it I got to see him getting too lucky too soon without much of a Hard work . It stresses more on his love and relationships angle rather than his journey towards stardom .

It is a slow film from the word go and on top of it, it is a full length feature film of close to three hours . The slow pace makes it pretty unbearable for an average cinema goer who expects some entertainment at a fine pace . The film is very much on the slower side and what could have been a good film of two hours has been made into a longer slower one . I am sad to say this but people started walking off without even watching the end of the film in the theater . The reason being the length and slow pace of the film . The story was also pretty much predictable and nothing in it to hold the audience for such a long span . The same was the case with Khoya Khoya Chand but it was expected from that film since it had a backdrop of the sixties . It was also a visually much more interesting film and had some really nice music .

The so many guest appearances also couldn't help film and were just like a small pills of excitement . The guest appearances barring that of SRK were all dull and felt quite out of the place . It almost felt like they were forced in to make the film a little popular . The people who did guest appearances in OSO would have been happy after watching the film and I am sure the same won't be the case with this film . I don't know , I felt like Zoya was pretty confused while making the film or maybe pretty much influenced under the Director brother and Writer father . The dialogues by Jaaved sir were also no good and the film in any case lacked the entertainment quotient . The film has a very Serious tone and lacks humour and maybe this is what will hit the film most apart from its length .

Zoya didn't use actors like that of Saurabh , Juhi and Rishi to their max . They had very small roles and that too were not that entertaining . Comparing this film to Jaane Tu which also had several such actors and Abbas in that film very well used all of his cast members . The script by Zoya herself was very weak and didn't had enough to hold the film . I don't want to be too harsh on the film but honestly speaking it was a boring film for most of its length .

The story revolves around Vikram Jaisingh and Sona Mishra who are both talented and hard working but it is because of their destiny that they land up in different places . Konkana goes the hard way and Farhan goes the smart way . The film revolves around the successes and failures of the lead couple and their love story . The story as I said earlier was very much predictable and had nothing that excited me . The script of the film also doesn't justify its name and has hardly underlined the luck factor that much .

The music was good but again not used to its maximum and in any case both Konkana and Farhan don't have that magnetic personalities to hold the songs on the screen . Though Farhan does a good job acting but as always he has very limited to offer and if script is not good he cannot take matters in his own hands . He is not a superstar material and he should not opt for acting as a full time job . He is a fabulous Director and I don't get it why doesn't he stick to that . Konkana is a good actress and she performs as expected . The only surprise was Isha Sharvani who looked quite glamorous and did her part well . She made her presence felt and was part of some entertaining scenes . Hrithik did his part well and his song has been well used for the publicity . Aamir's guest appearance was the worst of them all .

The technical aspects like cinematography and art direction were good . Zoya's script and Direction both were pretty average and were not exciting at all . She should wait for a stronger script for her next attempt . Overall , I was pretty disappointed with the film as I had a lot of expectations from both , the film and zoya . I hope it makes enough on the box office so that it doesn't lose much .

Film Rating : Two and Half Stars out of Five ; a slow and pretty much predictable film .


Blog by Saurabh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:/bollywoodrated.wordpress.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http:/bollywoodrated.wordpress.com.

Luck By Chance --- Music Review

The year is almost over and just before the end has come the music of Luck By Chance which gives a good end to the year which has been not so good in terms of music that has released . Luck By Chance is the second film as an actor for Farhan and from the promos this one looks to be more promising than his first one .The film starrs some big names like Konkana Sen Sharma , Juhi Chawla ,Hithik Roshan,Rishi Kapoor,Sanjay Kapoor,Saurabh Shukla,Dimple Kapadia,Isha Sharvani etc. etc. The film's plot revolves around a struggling actor and his journey to make his dreams come true . And as a result the songs are very much related to dreams and life that one wishes to have . Such songs always work among the audience because everybody has a dream and it results in an instant connection with the songs. Remember "Aashayein" of Iqbal . Well this album is pretty much similar in terms of content . The film is Directed by Farhan's sister Zoya Akhtar and hence the music is also by brother's favourite Shankar , Ehsaan and Loy .

The first song on the album is "Yeh Zindagi Bhi" which is a nice slow track with some really nice lyrics . Jaaved Sir always pens down some fine lyrics when it comes to the films that his son/daughter make . This song is a nice opening track and gives a nice insight of life . This song might mark the start of Farhan's journey in the film . The tune that SEL have used is really very nice and keeps the whole song pretty simple and melodious and letting the lyrics do their job . In such songs the lyrics are always the strong point and the job of the music director is to highlight those lyrics even more with the proper tune . In all its a good slow track that very well sets up a mood to listen the further tracks . Both the singers Loy Mendosa and Shekhar Ravjiani do a good job with the vocals .

Just after the slow and soulful track comes a very upbeat and sufiana track "Baawre" . This one is a treat who love Sufiana sort of tracks and also like pure Indian folk tracks . The lyrics here are also great by Jaaved sir and Loy does a fantastic job in singing the sufiana parts . The track though belongs to Shankar for most of the part and he does a great job as usual . In this track contrary to first one the Music takes the lead and dominates the track . The lyrics are good but it is the fantastic use of different instruments and the whole rhythm that makes this song one brilliant track . SEL have done a fantastic job on this one and given full justice to the song . The song interestingly describes a Circus scenario but ironically it refers to life only in general especially of the film world .

The third track on the album is a Slow Romantic number "Pyaar Ki Dastan" . Here both lyrics and music take a very safe mode and lack the newness . The music in this track has been kept very simple and nothing new has been tried . This one is just an average track and good thing is that it has been kept simple only and would work in the film . The male singer on this one is Amit Paul . Remember him ? The guy that came second in the last Indian Idol because of some unfair regional voting for the guy that won the show . Well I wont call it a superb entry into the music scene but he is at least with good guys (SEL) and I am sure they will help him in future also . His voice though sounds quite fresh and he needs to sing a lot many songs and then only any judgement can be passed on his singing . This one was a simple track so nothing to praise about . Mahalaxmi Iyer is an established singer and she does her job well as usual .

Then comes "Yeh Aaj Kya Ho Gaya" which is a nice guitar based track with Sunidhi Chauhan giving the vocals . It is a good short track with nice use of guitar throughout . This one is also a basic track with nothing fancy about it . The lyrics on this one are not as good as compared to the other songs . It is not a weak track yet it isn't a strong one either . The song would look good along with some situation in the film and probably would feature Konkana .

Then comes the Best track on the album and one of the best released in this year , "Sapno Se Bhare Naina" . One brilliant track with some of the finest Lyrics Jaaved Sir has ever written . Just pay heed to the first line - "Bagiyan Bagiyan Baalak Bhaage , Titli fir bhi haath na laage , Is pagle ko kaun samjhaye......Sapno se bhare naina to neend hai na chaina " . Anyone who has a passionate dream that he/she sees for his/her life would just love this track and would instantly identify himself/herself with it . Not only the lyrics are great but even the music that the trio has given is just fabulous . And who else than Shankar himself could have sung it better . His strong classical base matches the passion that is required to sing the song . Overall , a brilliant track and probably one the best in the career of both SEL and Jaaved Sir . I can keep on praising it .

The last original track on the album is "O Rahi Re" . SEL return to the simple soulful mood that is there on the first track . The music and lyrics both are great on this one too . The tune is great and reminds us of the music of the old times . Shankar sings this one also in his immaculate style and does full justice to the lyrics and tune . The lyrics in this one are again very philosophical sorts and talk of life . Music lovers would definitely like the song . Overall , its a really nice track keeping the theme of the entire soundtrack intact . A perfect song to end the soundtrack .

There is one Remix version of Baawre in the end that is probably the only song with heavy techno beats . It is a nice remix and people who won't like the original version would certainly like the remix version . For guys like me still the original one is better any day . But still , the remix is a nice one and not just adds extra bass and ups the tempo . It makes it sound completely different than the original one and would definitely work .

Overall , it is one of the best albums of the year and it was really nice to end the year with such a fine album . Great lyrics packed with some good tunes and singing . SEL and Jaaved sir together have done a much better job on this one than they did on Rock On . I just hope that this film also meets all the expectations I have with it . Go buy it if you are a true music lover .

Album Rating : Four out of Five Stars ; Great Package in total for music lovers .

Rock On!! --- Movie Review

Before I start reviewing this film , I would just like to make my purpose of writing this review clear to all the readers . As a reviewer my job is to analyse a film so even though if the film is liked by the masses it is very much possible that I would still find it fairly entertaining and won't be satisfied with the product . So one thing is clear that Rock On is a good film and would be liked by audience in general to an extent . So should I must stop writing anything about the film and just say that it would be liked by people at large so go and watch it ? My answer to that question is no , I would still write about the film since I have seen it as a general audience and there would be someone that might agree with my opinion .

So cutting the crap off lets talk about the film . The film in my view is a good example how an average film that very well could have been a classic but doesn't turn out to be one due to some flaws in it . Rock On as we all know is about Music so the biggest role that anybody could play in this movie was the music itself .The heroes of the film are not Farhan or Arjun but it is the music . Chak De is a classic in sports film genre not just only because of SRK or the Girls but mainly because of the Hockey that was shown in it . Same thing applies over here .In Rock On I couldn't find one single musical tune that I would never ever forget in my life . There was no piece of music that was as powerful so that it can last a lifetime . Music being the base of the film and the base itself wasn't that strong . I agree that it wasn't that bad but even music of several films is equally good or even better . But those films are not based on music . This one does . People who would wanna argue with me will say to me that Dude you don't understand rock music that's why you are saying so . For them I would like to say that Dude lets assume I don't understand "Rock" music , so what , most of the people in India don't but still they listen to LP and Greenday don't they ? Then why do they do so , the reason being music of all genres is at the end of the day music only and good music can always cheer you up . You don't have to do a thesis on it . Music of Rock On cheers me up but like all other movies . Mind you this is not a Music Review , I am talking of music because it is the biggest factor and the whole film is based on it .

Lets leave music aside and talk about other aspects . Next comes the script . The script or the story of the film is very much predictable and several such scripts have been already written and just set-up has been changed to an extent . The story as we all know is about a band who gets a chance to fame but gets broken up due to ego clashes and then one day they again reunite to create "Magic" . You would understand why I have quoted the word magic after you see the film . That's the story of the film for you. Simple and tested many times on screen .

After script comes performances and situations . The audience's connection with the characters is only limited to an extent and the audience doesn't get attached to any of the characters . This fact is very much clear from the fact that even though one of the band member is not completely fit health wise you don't feel sympathised for him to a large extent . You'll just feel sad but you won't sympathise because the connection with the character is quite less . On the other hand if SRK gets ill in a film people start crying or at least sympathise with him just because his characters connect with the audience . So the connection is quite less and the characters are forgettable . I still remember sameer , aakash and siddharth of Dil Chahta Hai because I felt connected with them . And I don't even remember the name of Farhan's character in the film . I just remember name of Arjun Rampal just because his name is quite cool in the film , Joe Mascarhenas . Sorry if the spelling is wrong .

Then comes acting . Well if you didn't feel connected to the characters that means the actors didn't act that well . Most of them were first timers and were good for first timers but were not at all great . The whole group of Jaane Tu.. was much better acting wise . Casting as they plays a big role and I could find only two characters being properly casted , one being Arjun Rampal as tough guy who is soft at heart and his wife(Debby) which is played by Shahana Goswami . This girl has got talent and acting comes naturally to her . She according to me acted the best in the whole film even though her role was quite small . Farhan has acted so so and his acting skills are not as good as his Direction skills so he must focus on what he is better at rather than wasting time on improving his acting . He has done a fair job but why should he act when he can Direct a fine piece of Cinema like Don and Dil Chahta Hai . The two sidekicks Luke Kenni and Purab kohli have done their job like they should have and not tried to become heroes which is appreciable . Purab is quite funny and can act better . Luke is good for the kind of role he has played in this one but nothing more . Then comes Prachi Desai , the TV girl , who looks nice but gives very limited expressions . She was either smiling or mum . She never got a chance to prove her acting skills . Still , it would be quite difficult for her to go ahead in Bollywood . Arjun was as usual , neither too good nor too bad .

After script and acting comes screenplay and Direction . The screenplay of the film wasn't that tight and had gone lose on several occasions . The pace of the film is a little on the slower side . The cinematography by Jason West was top notch . But I couldn't understand the basement or the attic where the Band practises . There are no such places in India . You may find many such places in America but not in India . In a way the film would appeal to western audiences more than Indian audience after all how many "original" bands does India have anyways who write and compose songs on their own . There may be a lot but the number would be still low as compared to the west so all the original bands don't get offended . Then comes Direction which is by Abhishek Kapoor who has done a decent job as a newcomer but could have done much better . How much influence did Farhan had on the sets that we don't know so nothing can be said about his Direction skills . The story itself and actors were weak what could have the Director done . He should have probably worked harder on the script before going on to make it .

Overall , the film is good and would be liked by people in general . Saying that , I would still say that it could have been a much better film and probably a classic if they would have worked slightly harder . The film would entertain you for its length but won't blow your minds . So if you want to just pass some time then you can watch it . I expect a top class product from Farhan who is the producer also , especially after films like Don and Dil Chahta Hai coming from his house . The film can be watched once and the efforts that those guys have put in can be appreciated .

Movie Rating : Three Stars out of Five , entertaining to an extent but same old story .

There's a line that appears on screen after the film ends that says ---"Don't Download the Music , Buy it" which reminded me of the starting credits of the Hollywood Hit "The Simpsons Movie" that featured Bart Simpson writing something on the Black Board as punishment . See the screenshot . I laughed very hard when I saw it since I had myself downloaded the film and watched it even before it got released in India .

Rock On !!! --- Music Review

The music of first Rock Music oriented film is out now and the album is mostly a rock album with majority of tracks belonging to Rock music genre . Rock Music belongs to the west and it is their forte , not ours and this is what comes out clearly in this album . The last attempt at rock music was made in Metro by the "Metro Band" headed by Pritam . The songs of Metro were a huge hit and if you ask me they were no doubt the best of Pritam . There is one thing to take note from the songs of Metro and that is that they were Rock songs but the Lyrics of those songs were completely Indian with no western touch to them . Even the singing style was completely Indian . The album thus became a huge hit . But one thing is that Metro songs were not purely Rock and can be called Indian Rock instead . But again pure Rock songs would never work in India . We always want some Indian Flavour in the western dishes . Thus I am doing this review for people who are not die-hard Rock music fans because Die-Hard rock fans might love this album .

In the case of Rock On its a complete opposite case . Not only the tune is western but also the Lyrics are quite inspired from west and also the singing style being directly picked from them . The Album has Nine songs in total out of which Six are being sung by Farhan Akhtar which according to me was the biggest mistake . Farhan is just an average singer and he has not sung songs at a professional level . One Advice for him -- "Dude , Acting in a rock oriented film is still OK but singing six songs in it is just too much and you cannot do everything , leave something for professionals . " I know that Farhan would be the lead singer in the Band hence all the songs would have to be focused on him hence only one singer would have to do the job . He could have tried Shaan or probably Sonu who are terrific singers and a Born Singer can Sing to any genre of Music .

Next comes the music which is by Shankar-Ehsaan and Loy which again is quite inspired one . It looks like Farhan or the Director - Abhishek Kapoor gave some English rock songs to the Music Directors and asked them to compose songs accordingly . The songs don't have anything new to offer .

The first song on the Album is Socha Hai by Farhan which is a good track but the tune is a typical one and hence nothing new about it . The lyrics are quite interesting and asks many important questions to the listener . This song forces people to think about some issues that people usually don't care of . The lyrics of the song are very nice and hence this song would get popular "only" because of its lyrics and not because of its tune or singer . The songs on the album are very youth oriented and so are the lyrics . Nice track , lacks a great tune .

Then comes Pichle Saat Dino Mein which is again a song that has a complete western touch to it . The lyrics and tune both are western . These type of Lyrics are usually seen in songs by quite young boy bands in west just because they don't have much experience in writing . These lyrics might suit a a very young rock band of high school but would not suit to a Grown up band . The song has a fun feel to it and might be liked by youth at large . But that liking would be only for short period of time and not evergreen.

Then comes the title track which is on air these days and getting quite popular . I don't know how many of you remember this but the main Music of this song has been directly picked by the Background score of Lakshya . If you remember there is a scene in Lakshya where Hrithik and his team climbs the Cliff and during that entire sequence a great background score is played . That background score is used in this song and a full fledged song has been made out of it . Though Music of Lakshya was also by SEL so we cannot say they stole it . Yet , the tune is a great one and hence the song is also "rocking" . It has been sung in typical western fashion by Farhan and the lyrics are also typical western in their feel . The lyrics are not made in Poetic fashion and are more oriented towards language that we use in daily life . Though the lyrics are by Jaaved Akhtar but I am sure here also Farhan(and probably his wife too) would have given some inputs here and there . Overall , the song is the best on album and would be most popular one .

Then comes Yeh Tumhari Meri Baatein by Dominque Cerejo which is a nice slow track that usually a girl singer sings at the restaurants etc . Simple lyrics and tune and nothing great about it . Dominique is good singer and probably can sing a better song than this . These type of tracks can be used in background in a film .

Then comes Zehreelay by Suraj Jaggan which is again inspired from some song of west . The song has a tune like a Metallica song or a Greenday song . I know that Metallica and Greenday are from two different genre of Music but this song I feel doesn't belong to either one . It is a mix of little bit of both . Fast Rock song with excessive electric guitar in it . A treat for Hardcore Rock Lovers and who like to play music at full volume . Again nothing new about it and would look good only in the film . One positive is that at least Suraj sings better than Farhan .

Then comes a slow track Tum Ho Toh which is a sad song and again has a western feel to it . At least they could have made this one better and little Indian . A sad and slow song yet it has a rock feeling to it . An average track again and doesn't have a great tune or lyrics in it . Regular stuff . Farhan continues .

Then comes Sinbad The Sailor again by Farhan . I had once attended a rock concert where a local band played the title track of famous Duck Tales cartoon series and it got a great crowd support considering all of us have sung that song in our childhood . The same concept has been tried over here where the track focuses on Sinbad The Sailor and tells his story . Again nothing new about it , same old tune that can be composed by any Local Band for sure .

The next track on the album is a "STUDIO" made Live version of Pichle Saat Dino Mein . The Live version is supposed to be live 100% but I don't think this one is . It has been recorded in studio and Live effects have been inserted . The song is good track but has same old western feel to it and nothing new in it .

The last track is Phir Dekhiye by Carlisa Monteiro who tries to sing the song like Celine Dion , slow and some parts at high pitch . I am tired of saying this but the tune has nothing new again and we have heard several English songs like these .

Overall , the album has use of typical tunes and nothing new about them . Still , the songs are not that bad and can be listened once in a while . The album is more of an experiment which I think won't work . It lacks creativity and definitely some good singers .

Te tag line of film is Live Your Dream and though the film is based on Music yet it will send out a message to everyone having a dream in their life , hopefully . The movie might work in the Young Audiences like me and I am looking forward to it . The music though has disappointed me since it is quite average and nothing great about it . A great music can only make a great film .

Album Rating : Two out Five Stars ; Good for one listening .