Luck by Chance

Vikram comes to Mumbai to become an actor and moves in with Sona, whom he meets at acting school. She has been knocking on the same doors for years and always leaves with a promise. An unexpected coincidence hands Vikram a big part, and as he rises he quickly forgets what he leaves behind. Zoya Akhtar's first film. Farhan Akhtar plays Vikram, Konkona Sen Sharma plays Sona, Rishi Kapoor the producer, Isha Sharvani the star actress. The film explains how Bollywood works from the inside: nepotism, the power of producing families, how fast actresses are used up, and how anyone who is not a star counts as nobody. Many real actors appear as themselves. Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar and others turn up briefly, which was read as the industry's odd tolerance for criticism of itself. Critics placed it among the year's best; the box office was ordinary. Its harshest idea is in the ending: the person who rises does not change, only who is usable does. Who it is for: viewers who like films about the film industry. Who it is not for: anyone expecting classic Bollywood romance; this ends cold.