Banner : UTV Motion Pictures

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Dibakar Banerjee

Cast: Abhay Deol, Paresh Rawal, Neetu Chandra, Archana Puran Singh, Manu Rishi, Richa Chadda, Anurag Chadda, Manjot Singh, Rajinder Sethi

Rating: 3/5

After watching actors run around trees and shoot exotic song and dance scenes, you want to watch something a lot more sane and probable. Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye seems to be the long confined answer, an alternative of what Indian films can be. Yes it does have the masala, it does have its fun moments and emotions; yet in every sense it is not your conventional Hindi movie.

The film is a well thought depiction of a young boy’s tale–from the small alleys around his house to the bigger ones he steals from. Very simply the film tells the tale of Lucky (Abhay Deol), a verbal and super smart crook. Beginning small and working for Gogi (Paresh Rawal), he soon decides there’s more money working alone. So out he goes to steal everything from a music system to your neighbor’s dog, cashing it for money and at times to furnish his home. All is well till the cops and the special branch are after him. Conning his way through to stardom, Lucky is just what he is.

At the outset one can’t say it enough that this film is worth a watch. Especially for its brilliantly scripted dialogues and rock steady plot. The film is unbelievably real and you literally see the growth of Lucky and his actions. The witty lines have you in splits. Various situations in the film have Lucky deliver these outstanding one liners that there is no other option but to burst out into laughter. The style of using a montage of pictures to speak of character growth and experiences is another aspect that is commendable.

The characters including those that have really inconsequential roles are so well crafted that there is no chance of them even making the fare any damp. They are well layered and chalked out. Having said that the film, due to the fact that it is based on Lucky and everything around him, does become linear. Hence the pace of the film seems slow and there are a few moments that get repetitive as there really isn’t the introduction of a new character or a tangent being explored. While otherwise this would have been a good thing, in this film there is only one main protagonist who carries out the same actions over and over, so in essence repetition does tire a bit.

But then if you really don’t crib about time too much and are more carried away by style, a great script and good performances then this really shouldn’t bother you much. While the editing is crisp, a few minutes here and there getting rid of the repetition would have been great. Additionally, while one understands the importance and meaning of Rawal’s character to assume three different roles, one can’t rule out the fact that it is confusing. More seriously, any other actor essaying the role would have perhaps supplied the movie with the same amount of depth. But then again it is indeed the director’s discretion and the film is a medium of expression.

Technically the film is proficient. There is not an aspect you would want to change. The use of music, the camera, the cinematography, the shots captured all fit in perfectly into one another.

The performance from Deol is something to write home about, in fact one letter might just seem insufficient. He is outstanding and delivers what can be called one of this year’s best performances. On the other hand Rawal is effective. Chandra playing Deol’s love interest proves her mettle and does a great job. Maybe now filmmakers will cast her more often. Singh as the young Lucky is brilliant as well. He packs in loads of laughs and gives a terrific performance.

Shouting it from the rooftops is just not enough, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye is a winner all the way. Go armed with time and you’ll walk out laughing.