Luck by Chance

Luck by Chance is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Zoya Akhtar in her directorial debut, and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under the Excel Entertainment banner. The film stars Farhan Akhtar and Konkana Sen Sharma in lead roles, with Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Kapoor, Isha Sharvani, Alyy Khan, and Sheeba Chaddha in supporting roles. Hrithik Roshan appears in an extended cameo, while numerous industry figures—Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Akshaye Khanna, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, Ranbir Kapoor, John Abraham, Vivek Oberoi, Rajkumar Hirani, Boman Irani, and Anurag Kashyap—feature as themselves in guest appearances. The narrative follows Vikram, a struggling actor who arrives in Mumbai to pursue a film career, navigating fame, ambition, and strained personal relationships as he rises to stardom.

The film marked Akhtar’s first collaboration as director with Excel Entertainment and was noted for its insider perspective on the Hindi film industry. Principal photography took place in Mumbai, with cinematography by Carlos Catalan. The music was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.

Released theatrically on 30 January 2009, Luck by Chance received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise for its screenplay, performances, and realistic portrayal of the film industry. The film earned approximately ₹28 crore (US$3.9 million) worldwide against a modest production budget, emerging as a moderate box office success. At the 55th Filmfare Awards, Luck by Chance received 5 nominations, including Best Supporting Actor (Rishi) and Best Supporting Actress (Kapadia), and won Best Debut Director (Zoya, tying with Ayan Mukerji for Wake Up Sid).