Don’t we all love a good criminal? The film Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! brings you the ultimate media savvy thief – The one who stole at nights, and wanted to be famous for it by day! You will see Lucky, a gawky 15 year old lower middle class kid from the inner city ghetto of West Delhi, rise to become one of the most wanted master thieves of India with tens of millions worth loot, a glamorous lifestyle, cars, women and a fan following. Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! movie review…
As a kid, there is little at home for the young Lucky except an alienated family and a dysfunctional relationship with his violent, bullying father.
The young lad is a keen observer of the world around from his immediate surroundings, his friends, dropouts, delinquents, petty criminals to the world he aspires to – The Nouveau riche – Private school kids, shining cars, with power windows, and pretty girls from posh neighborhoods who seem forever inaccessible – they all add to his store of knowledge. Over his adventures, we see Lucky form his worldview. And that is – if you don’t have it, steal it.
Together with his childhood friend Bangali (Manu Rishi), he graduates to becoming a full-fledged thief and is introduces to a man who will change the course of his life! Gogi bhai (Paresh Rawal) – a flamboyant musical bandleader who’s also a fence for stolen goods. A man who becomes a surrogate father.
Lucky (Abhay Deol) rapidly rises to become Gogi’s star operator. Through him Lucky meets a host of characters who will define who he eill become. Including Dolly, Gogi’s agressive, hard bitten star dancer and her college going quiet younger sister Sonal (Neetu Chandra) with whom he begins a tentative romance. Lucky’s independent nature, insatiable ambition and hunger for the unreachable accelerate his path in crime and matters are brought to a head by a pivotal act of betrayal that scars Lucky for life and sets him off into a new trajectory of life.
Lucky’s journey develops him into a flamboyant playboy who now wants more than just the riches. Now he needs the respectability, the social standing of a city gentleman, without sacrificing that reckless freedom he cherishes – the duality of having freedom to steal.
But this is, perhaps, half the tale. Thats Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
The other half is about why a wealthy thief who stole tens of millions worth of jewellery, cars, gadgets and other valuables would also steal a greeting card, a teddy bear and a framed photo of a family playing in the snow.
The story was inspired by various real events and characters reported in mags, papers and TV. Lucky wants everything that you and I want – name, fame, wealth, arm candy and those ever lasting fifteen minutes under the spotlights. But that’s where the resemblance ends. Most of us to work at day, suck up to our bosses, cheat our tax, fudge our books, network with the right people, be seen at the right people, be seen at the right parties and make a respectful decent life of it.
An interesting aspect is that the viewer is taken for a ride with Lucky as he escapes his suffocating childhood and a bullying father, to glide into crime – petty thieving in this case. Fun filled days follow – of stealing a car there, a TV showroom there.
Lucky steals from your or my home at night.
Also the aspect where he befriends the thoroughly respectable Dr. Handa, with the thoroughly respectable profession, wife, son, house and club. Or you can say Dr. Handa befriends a handsome, young entrepreneur – a prized social catch – who could fund his business enterprise. Through Handa Lucky enters the respectable, club going, picnic packing, english speaking world of creamy layer, urban India.
Abhay Deol has carved a niche for himself in Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! as he as done it in Ek Chaalis ki Last Local, Panorama 6 feet under, etc. He is just awesome. Neetu Chandra is very natural. Manjot Singh as Young Lucky and Manu Rishi as Lucky’s friend Bangali make an impressive debut. And not only for all this, the credit for impressive story and dialogues goes to Dibakar Banerjee – captain of the ship. Paresh Rawal in three different roles is a treat to watch.
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! is a stylish, witty and interesting film for matured audience.
Credits & Crew of Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!:
Producer – Ronnie Screwvala
Director – Dibakar Banerjee
Story / Screenplay: Dibakar Banerjee, Urmi Juvekar
Executive Producer – Priya Sreedharan
Original Music by Sneha Khanwalkar
Cinematography – Kartik Vijay
Film Editing – Shyamal Karmakar, Namrata Rao
Dialogue – Manu Rishi
Distributed by UTV Motion Pictures
Cast of Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!:
Lucky – Abhay Deol
Young Lucky – Manjot Singh
Lucky’s father / Gogi Bhai / Dr. Handa – Paresh Rawal
Sonal – Neetu Chandra
Bangali – Manu Rishi
Devender Singh / Cop – Anurag Arora
Dolly – Richa Chadda
Mrs. Handa – Archana Puran Singh
Criminal – Rajinder Sethi
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! movie review