Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008) Reviews

• Ignore the Critics

  CriticRoshan2008-11-30

  I am quite appalled at the critic's response to OLLO in India. The film has been given at best a rating of average to a complete dud. I can only imagine that the reason behind this response is the fact that there is no 'out and out' superstar in the film and hence the critics do not have to show any loyalty to the 'you can't do wrong' Khans, Kapoors or Kumars of Bollywood. I must admit I went to watch OLLO with quite low expectations given the lack of critical acclaim the film had received, despite the fact the film was directed by the very competent Dibakar Banerjee of 'Khosla ka Gholsa' fame and had an interesting ensemble cast. I can tell you that I was pleasantly surprised that the film definitely met my expectations and it proves that you can't trust the film critics in India – who practically live in the pockets of certain Bollywood stars. The problem in India now is that you have parallel cinema with your mainstream run of the mill films for the masses and artistic films for the more sophisticated pallet. Therefore the tendency for critics is now to first categorise the film in to either one of these categories and then review it on that basis. For me OLLO doesn't fall in to either one of these categories – it is just a simple tale told in a competent way – much like 'Khosla ka Ghosla'. OLLO captures the atmosphere of Delhi perfectly and the adolescent years of the main character Lucky are amazing. From thereon in OLLO becomes a simple tale of a thief who steals out of force of habit – that is the storyline in a nutshell. How the main characters interact with each other helps develop the story further and the storyline follows a natural progression of events (with some mirch masala) towards its climax. As for the performances – Abhay Deol is a natural. By far he stands head and shoulders above the rest of the star cast despite the fact that Paresh Rawal is given three clear opportunities to steal his thunder. Whilst I must admit that Abhay Deol is not blessed with typical Bollywood star looks and his screen presence isn't up there with the best of them (in saying that Shah Rukh Khan looks like a caricature with his big nose and lips) , but his honest portrayal of the characters he plays is always near perfect. The rest of the star cast is also very competent and compliment each other. Once again Dibakar Banerjee has proved that he can put together an amazingly entertaining film from a very simple storyline. He reminds me of the great Hrishikesh Mukerjee. Finally, I would like to recommend that true cinema-goers firstly ignore the trained critics of India and follow their instincts – OLLO is well and truly worth a watch.

• Oye Lucky! Lucky Rocks!

  Peter_Young2010-01-03

  Dibakar Banerjee's 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!' is one of my favourite Hindi films of recent years. A dark satirical comedy revolving around a young thief, it is amazingly enjoyable and fresh and can provide a spectacular watch for the entire family. For all the smart-alecks, Banerjee does not try to glorify theft or anything of this sort but instead makes sure the viewer does not take it seriously and just enjoys this energetic and engaging, though a somewhat slow paced film. This is the comic, albeit a bit sad, story of a thief named Lucky which follows his experiences while looking for different people to rob and his subsequent attempts to quit the 'profession'. 'Lucky' is extremely Indian in its depiction, humour and heart. Banerjee skillfully captures the unique atmosphere of Delhi and its simple yet colourful lifestyle. The film is reminiscent of those classic comedies made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and his style. It is totally realistic, and is aided by an excellent script, brilliant and witty dialogues, hilarious situations and many uplifting moments. One must note that the first portions of the film, revolving around Lucky's adolescence, are superbly portrayed. The romantic story between Lucky and Sonal, the lovely girl he falls in love with, is also extremely alluring. The film is not your run-of-the-mill masala comedy. The comedy lies in the writing and the script. It does not even have song numbers for the actors to lip-sync, and you can only hear one song playing over certain montage sequences from time to time. And which song? A famous Kishore Kumar number which was taken right from an old Hindi picture of the late 1970s (Mahesh Bhatt's Lahu Ke Do Rang, to be specific). This, along with other such aspects as the great cinematography, the editing and the settings, perfectly contributes to the film's nostalgic and simple feel which will certainly be identified with Banerjee's style of film-making in coming days. With Lucky, Abhay Deol ultimately became my favourite actor of the current generation. He is outstanding from start to finish and injects charm and energy into his character, which make it interesting and memorable. Manjot Singh is also fantastic as the young Lucky. Neetu Chandra is also likable as his love interest. Paresh Rawal plays three different characters in the movie. As funny as it sounds, the three characters have absolutely no connection in the story, and Rawal plays every role excellently, though I liked the character of the doctor the most. Richa Chadda, Archana Puran Singh and Kalpana stand out in smaller comic parts. What else can I say? Lucky is an intelligent and humorous movie. It is stylish in its own way, it is feel-good, romantic and effervescent, and for me, it is also addictive! I can watch it again and again and still be totally entertained. This is a film that really can make you feel good. Way to go, Mr. Banerjee and Mr. Deol.

• Another act of defiance

  arkab2008-12-01

  Dibakar Banerjee, director of the cult film(if i may say so) Khosla ka Ghosla, is back with another comedy. Unusually titled Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, it is indeed quite different from the regular bollywood fare. True, this film isn't as good as Khosla, but it definitely has a lot of things going for it. This film is a splash of colour, and is set in Delhi, just like its predecessor. Dibakar once again succeeds in capturing the essence of this decadent city, and the old-world charm it carries. The film has its special moments, like the scene where lucky meets the card-seller girl. The innocence and the humanism is not lost, and one can almost feel oneself in the midst of the action. Paresh Rawal plays three characters, analogous to Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove, and does a fine job. Although his character of Dr. Handa was a little too absolute-evil types, the others showed shades of gray, and were executed well by Rawal. The dialogue is witty and funny, and resembles elements of the same in Pulp Fiction, one is inclined to think. The film does lose its way in the second half (the entire vacation episode), the story becomes a bit of a drag, and the ending carries no surprises, but as a whole, the film does well to keep its spectators glued to the screen. However, i must say, that most of the shortcomings of the film come to light only when it is compared to global standards. If one is talking about bollywood, and the trash it churns out regularly( Dostana, Yuvvraaj), then this film is truly light years ahead in every possible department. Its a sad truth in Bollywood, that talent dies a poor man. The ones with absolute power in the industry (Amitabh Bacchan, SRK, KJo) are mortified of experimentation, of serving up anything that hasn't been dumbed down to the average IQ of an American, to the Indian audiences.I yearn for the day when independent and original thought is given credence and respect in Bollywood. Agreed, that this film isn't stuff of legend, but its a start, and a symbol of defiance. And that is why it should be given even more credit than it deserves. Stylish, Witty, and Entertaining, this film is a must watch for all the people out there who have been suffering brain damage at the hands of Karan Johar, RGV, Yash Chopra and co. I give it an 8/10, mostly due to the brilliant first half of the movie. On the whole,well done Dibakar moshai!

• Relive your Delhi days!

  bollywoodplusplus2008-12-01

  Simply one of the best characterization and caricature of Delhi-ites on big screen. The only other contender comes to my mind is Khosla ka Ghosla by the same director - that tells me the director is very familiar with Delhi and its lingo, culture, Punjabi-Hariyani laced Hindi! If you have ever lived in Delhi, you can relate to all the characters. Period! And that in itself will make the movie a fun-watch. Abhay Deol - I consider him the most capable of Deols. I am neither a big fan of the 'action hero' Sunny or Bobby (what's his genre btw?). But this Deol knows his strength and plays by that, and experiments with new characters each time. His acting makes up for all the muscles Sunny has or all lack of dancing skills of Sunny or lack of any skills of Bobby. The young Lucky played by Manjot is an absolute delight. Paresh Rawal is adequate, somehow I feel a Boman Irani could have been a better fit. I missed Ranvir Shorey or a Deepak Dobriyal in the movie, these guys are so Delhi-ish that you can create a character for them in such a movie. A word about music:... I think Dibakar Banerjee has a good ear for the Funjabi music. Like 'Chak de phatte' from KKG, this movie has few tracks, which are just fun Punjabi-Hiphop-Techno tracks! Sorry, I haven't checked the music credits yet, but the SuperChor is a cool gangsta-rap style track, while Jugni and Oye Lucky have nice raw Punjabi touch with some modern instrumentation. I would hate to call them Bhangraa, because they are a bit different. Although none of the songs are of 'Chak De Phatte' caliber, but are more than adequate. Overall, a fun movie to watch - as long as you can follow the Delhi-sense-of-humor! I still give it 8/10 because the script loses pace somewhat towards 3/4th of the movie. It should have been an out and out comedy like the way it started and ended.

• Excellent Flick

  nitinjain_nitin2008-11-29

  Director Dibankar Banerjee comes up with another excellent movie with Oye Lucky.. after Khosla. If Khosla was good this one is even better. Abhay Deol has carved a niche for himself with films like Ek Chalis, Manorama, and now this one. Brilliant script was supported by brilliant acting. I am really happy that Bollywood has started making films the Hollywood style. The still photographs used in the movie was something new to Bollywood and it suited the script perfectly. Abhay Deol is turning out to be a good actor and he now can be placed in the category of his illustrious cousins. Manjot Singh and Manu Rishi made an impressive debut as Young Lucky and Bangali respectively. The humor of this movie was of utmost quality. a really good script supported by some brilliant performances by the now legend Paresh Rawal, Abhay Deol and others. A must watch for everyone. The scenes that I enjoyed especially were of Young Lucky and his father.