Its been 10 years since this movie released, and yes I've been too late in writing something about this movie as the hype around the 10 year challenge has somewhat died; Having said that, this movie continues to amaze,amuse and inspire me..
The film begins with an aspiring yet struggling actress Sona Mishra ( Konkona Sen Sharma) being advised by this big shot filmmaker to meet him regularly, the innocence in her eyes couldn't see the other interests of that filmmaker. On the other end is another aspiring yet struggling actor Vikram Jaisingh (Farhan Akhtar) learning the nitty-gritty of acting and also to become a movie star, he shows promise and the traits of someone who knows his craft, its only with time that its shown that he knows his craft a bit too well. It is in the acting school he is told that apart from talent and hard work the other most important factor to succeed is LUCK, in this case luck refers to being at the right place at the right time.
We are also shown how these two protagonists make their way into this industry with their respective different approaches. When Sona was rejected after the filmmaker was done with her she felt that acting in movies wasn't something that was written in her destiny, its then Vikram who tells her that "destiny/luck" is an excuse for those who haven't really tried, this made me wonder how many times have we hid behind things like luck, destiny or capacity without even giving our best shot ? Vikram makes her realise that her dream was to be an actress who does many films and not just one particular filmmaker's movies. It's so much parallel to many instances in our lives when we are so busy chasing one aspect of our ambition that we aren't able to see the whole picture in our ambition, we surrender to that situation/person and even trust the situation/person more than we trust or have belief in ourselves. I partially agree with what Vikram says to Sona "Mauke milte nahi, banaaye jaate hain, kaamyabi hum tak nahi aati, humein kaamyabi tak jaana hota hai"(Opportunities aren't got, we need to make opportunities, success doesn't come to us, we have to go to success) why partially? will reveal in a while.
Sona again continues her struggle at the same time Vikram (now her boyfriend) prepares for an audition for a role in a big film under a huge production banner, in midst all of that he begins to show his approach of making his way into the industry by flooring a veteran movie actress and her daughter with his charm and cajoling, by making use of a friend of his who works as an assistant under Mahesh Bhatt and also aping the dedication towards theatre which is actually the passion of his childhood friend Abhi (Arjun Mathur of MADE IN HEAVEN fame). It does work in his favor and gets him the role of the main protagonist, in the process of cementing his position in the film industry, he does show a lot of change, or maybe he shows who he really has been which didn't come to the surface as long as he didn't get what he desired. It could be called natural/psychological but it's indeed true that when we really get what we want we show certain shades of ourselves which the world around us hasn't been aware of, a certain aspect which deliberately or in-deliberately was suppressed till we got what we wanted, maybe this is how Vikram, was maybe this is how he chose to be and this choice might have been an outcome of the way he saw the industry and the people around him who influenced him directly or indirectly, hence I don't really hate Vikram for his view, maybe it's justified to hate him for he cheated on Sona as he was busy wooing his co-star and her mother.
Sona heartbroken distances herself from Vikram, at the same time a scoop is made on Vikram, calling him a "USER", revealing his relationship with Sona, furious at this, Vikram reprimands Sona (who had nothing to do with the article) telling her he had worked real hard to go this far and she shouldnt use unfair means to gain fame.. "Irony Abounds" only if Vikram knew that he is where he is because of a chain of events that began from Sona giving his pictures to the wife of that same filmmaker who rejected her after using her, and the wife of that filmmaker turned out to be the sister-in-law of the producer the film of which now stars Vikram. So was it all hard work and no luck ?? did he make an opportunity or did opportunity come to him ?? Vikram did work hard, it does take hard work to manipulate people and have things work in his favor but he could do that only because there was also some luck with him.
Yes the film was released and Vikram did become an overnight star, a huge sensation, but it is after achieving this stardom came another audition the audition of how he played the role of a person who has just achieved success, the success that has established him. The most prominent scene of the movie is the penultimate phase where after achieving his stardom Vikram gets to know that Sona was innocent, he is wondering what to do next but then appears before him a man who started of as a nobody, with no godfather or a movie star parent but now ruling Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan. Shah Rukh explains Vikram that now he has to choose the kind of work he wishes to do and there will be an actor's work apart from acting, Shah Rukh was sharp to see Vikram almost avoiding his friends, that is when Shah Rukh subtly explains him the danger in being to carried away by stardom, he revealed to Vikram the simple rule of being above the demons that stardom can carry along with it
"Unhe mat bhoolo, jo tumhe tab jaante the, jab tum kuch nahi the
Kyunki bas yahi hain, jo tumhe humesha sach bolenge"
(Dont forget those, who knew you when you were a nobody..
Because they're the ones, who'll always be honest with you)
There was only one such person Vikram could think of, Sona, for she was the one also motivated him in times he was low, she was indeed honest with him, who else could Vikram think of? Abhi ? who showed signs of jealousy and insecurity? his aunt? who attacked him with taunts till he was a nobody and now she was showering him with affection just because he is a star? it always had been Sona who was with him in his struggling phase and who was ready to be with him risking her acting dreams when Vikram was making it big, the only hindrance being, Vikram cast her out, it obviously had been too much for Sona to handle and it was she who rejected him this time, not out of revenge or any resentment, but out of self-priority, independence and the fact that she could still see Vikram wanting her by his side out of his own selfish guilt and not because he completely understood her value in her life.
Throughout the movie we kind of develop a hatred or resentment towards Vikram, maybe because of the way he treated Sona, or because of the way he climbed the ladder of success, but Sona credits him for many things she learnt from him, one of the major lessons being keep trying without deciding the odds already. Be it taking part in a contest that gifts you a fridge or to make it big in your profession, the only time the odds of you winning or making it big are zero is when you haven't made an effort. That's an attitude that drew me towards Vikram.
As for Sona, she is someone who evolves, learns and then finally in the end takes charge, and to take charge she makes an important decision "to be happy" she couldn't make it big in the film industry, but she ended up being a pretty successful TV actor, who is earning well and making name for herself. The film ends with her saying that she has now realized the meaning of what Vikram had said once
"Insaan apni kaamyabi aur nakaami khud chunta hai"
( A person chooses its own success and failure)
This gets me wondering who was more successful ? Vikram? who became a huge movie star at the cost of his near and dear ones or Sona , who couldn't achieve her dreams but has made it somewhere and feels settled, happy and content?
The other characters like the producer who is emotional about his film-making but had to be manipulative and cunning to deal with the stars of today's generation (Rishi Kapoor), the star whose exit paves the way for Vikram (Hrithik Roshan), the veteran actress who is protective about her daughter as she knows and has been through the dark side of this industry in her early years (Dimple Kapadia), are also some characters through which the hypocrisy, the backbiting, and the double-faced side of this industry is seen.
To be fair though, this is not an environment exclusive to the movie industry, it's something that can be found in every industry, hence we also relate to the scenarios shown as they are similar to the incidents we have heard, been through or even inadvertently been a part of.
Coming to one elusive question? what exactly is LUCK? is it just about being at the right place at the right time? perhaps it also means having the right people..perhaps it also means it's a repercussion of your deeds that take you to the next step towards your desired goal, in the case of this movie as much as I could understand Luck was also about making choices, making decisions...in reality the meaning of Luck is beyond, odds, risk , chances and flukes.. yet the meaning is elusive.
