Lesser known facts about the movie called LUCK :
# Soham Shah : This is the second project of this director, first being KAAL(2005).
# Sanjay Dutt -- Mithun -- Danny – this trio was last seen together in Jeete Hain Shaan Se (1988).
# The design of the title ‘LUCK’ has strong resemblance with the ‘DELL’ logo.
(I didn’t find more).
Some of us may agree that LUCK can be arguably considered as a byproduct of the n number of reality shows (BIG BOSS types) making waves on the small screen – do you know that ISS JUNGLE SE MUJHE BACCHAO has achieved a milestone in Sony Television’s TRP ratings.
LUCK is completely filled with hardcore stunts and thrills, Hollywood ishtyle. I think that the audience did not witness such kind of action thriller after DHOOM 2. So for the guyz who were thirsty for a typical bollywood masala action types movie – here comes the movie which will drench you.
LUCK can be said as a triple debut of the Kamal Hasan – Sarika daughter Shruti as she has played a double role in this movie as well as lent her voice to ‘Aazma Luck’ song.
This movie is a good example of a complete mis-casting where Imran Khan & Shruti Hassan are the victims. It is sure that the makers wanted to encash Imran on his previous success of JAANE TU.. & Shruti just because she is daughter of the living legend Kamal Hassan. The audiences had already rejected Imran in a hard hitting role (remember KIDNAP), audiences are expecting more of JANE TU stuff from him.
As it is usual with every film now - the writing fails to match the high voltage action sequences of the movie. Yet LUCK is a feast for edge of the seat cinema lovers. It is one of the slickest action thrillers to hit Indian screens
LUCK begins with an exciting opening sequence that gets your heart in your mouth watching a blindfolded Sanjubaba cross the multiple railway lines with trains running around in fast speed. It’s a sequence that not only introduces you to the plot, but also makes a hammer-strong impact Hats-off to Allan Amin the action director – the man behind all the Dhooms.
The first half of the film is merely devoted to character introductions though none are convincingly established.
Sanjay Dutt is Kareem Moosa who takes the game of betting to an altogether different level by involving humans as betting objects who are made to fight their own luck to survive. Hey Sanju Baba we have heard this name Moosa over hundred times and seen you in the same get up more than thousand times, please try something else next time. Sanju portrays the character of Akshay from fear factor minus the stunts.
Imran Khan is Ram Mehra, a bank employee in deep debt from his father and he wants to clear it but he doesn't have enough money, so he wants to go to America make huge money. Imran’s acting skills lag behind and most of the time he seems to be expressionless.
Danny is Tamaang and he works for Moosa Bhai to find people whose luck factor is very strong. His job is to rent people luck and play dangerous game. His is the most rocking performance of the film.
Mithun Chakraborty is Retired Major Jaabbar Singh. He is in desperate need of money as his wife, played by Rati Agnihotri, has a serious illness. His characterization is similar to that of Amitab Bachchan in KANTE. Good job done by Mithun with respect to screen presence.
Chitrashi Raavat is a Pakistani teenager named Shortcut as a camel race rider, she has a good role and does complete justice to it.
Ravi Kishan is a serial killer and he is in jail waiting to be hanged but, he is very lucky when he was being hanged the rope breaks up and he couldn't be hanged as law does not allow a person to be hanged twice so he is freed by the court. He will definitely appeal to the masses in huge way.
Shrutti Haasan comes just before interval where all these people are asked to play the deadly games assisted only by their LUCK. She has a long way to go - though she looks good but her dialogue delivery is not up to mark. She could not show her skill probably because of huge star cast.
So in a South African city, Moosa Bhai challenges this selected group to perform stunts for his betting business. What follows is a series of terminal tasks where not the mighty but the lucky would survive. So the characters have their legs gobbled up by rubber sharks and look plastic as they fall off parachutes. In between all this action, the director is inclined to force a mandatory romance track (through nonexistent chemistry between Imran and Shruti Hassan) and a rape attempt to reach a speeding climax. Predictably you also know the order of elimination with the junior artists getting knocked-off first and subsequently the hero surviving over the villain.
But still there are outstanding moments like the revolver sequence [the first challenge], the helicopter jump, the underwater sequence with sharks and the train sequence in the climax give you goose bumps and remain etched in your memory. There's a scene involving a lighter too, which is sure to draw whistles and claps.
If screenplay writers Soham Shah and Rensil D'Silva would have worked harder in scripting LUCK, it would've worked wonders. The script of the film relies too much on coincidental luck.
The opening and ending action sequences are convincingly shot but the intermediate stunts appear too artificial. The director tries to cover up the patchiness of the action by Santosh Thundiyil's erratic camerawork but it only disturbs more. The conversations between characters in the introductory scenes looks too rehearsed. Each one has a dramatized mugged-up response to complement the opponent's remarks.
Salim-Sulaiman's music is good and 'Aazma' is easily the best composition of this album. The background score by Amar Mohile is electrifying. The sound design by Dwarak Warrier is remarkable.
On the whole LUCK’s fate depends on three factors – star power, superbly shot stunts(a major USP), new concept (with respect to big screens). If it clicks, it may help the film in gathering good collections at the box office.
So guys if you are willing to watch some stunning action at the cost of loosely written plot you can go for this technically very sound movie.
If the editing in the second half would have been tighter, this film would have definitely scored better in the ratings.
Running Time : 133 minutes
RATINGS : 2.5 / 5
Reviewed by Ashish Gharde
Inox Tuli Mall, Nagpur
10:15 11:30am 1:00 2:15 3:45 6:30 8:00 10:15pm
Cinemax: Eternity Mall
9:00 10:15am 1:00 3:45 6:30 8:00 10:00 10:45pm
Inox Poonam Mall, Nagpur
9:00 11:40am 2:15 5:00 7:40 9:00 10:15pm
Cast:
Sanjay Dutt, Imran Khan, Mithun Chakraborty, Shruti Haasan, Danny Denzongpa, Ravi Kishan, Chitrashi Rawat
Crew
Cinematographer: Santosh Thundiyil
Story Writer: Soham Shah
Director: Soham Shah
Producer: Dhilin Mehta
Banner: Indian Films, Shri Ashtavinayak Cine Visions Music
Music Director: Salim Merchant, Sulaiman Merchant
Playback Singer: Sulaiman Merchant, Shruti Haasan, Clinton Cerejo, Anushka Manchanda, Naresh Kamath, Shruti Pathak, Salim Merchant, Satya Hinduja, Sukhwinder Singh
Background Sound: Amar Mohile
Lyricist: Anvita Dutt Gupta, Shabbir Ahmed
Music Company: T-Series
