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"Oye Lucky…" is a sly, shimmering mirror of a dysfunctional society always craving for more... not knowing where the greed to be upwardly mobile finally ends.

By Subhash K Jha  3 Stars
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3 stars Oye Lucky Lucky Oye is definitely one of the best released this year. - Jahan Bakshi    Fri, 28 Nov 2008
Yes, Dibakar Banerjee has done it again. It was always going to be tough to beat that terrific debut called Khosla Ka Ghosla- an unforgettable gem of a film that admittedly occupies a place in my favorite movies list. Oye Lucky Lucky Oye may not be as memorable as that charming dramedy, but it is as brilliant, and perhaps a far more complex and layered film.

Make no mistake- while the laughs do keep rolling steadily thanks to the engaging and superbly witty dialogue, what strikes more potently than anything is the dormant sadness within this film. Like its title character, at the surface OLLO may seem all smooth, sharp and happy-go-lucky, but at the heart of it all lies a quiet but unmistakable aching melancholy. Maybe its also all the darkness and sadness that surrounds us today in real life that made me connect more to OLLO's serious, even tragic crux than it's hilarious crust.

OLLO is a richly textured parable about a lower middle class boy and his unswerving ambition to make it to or break into the nouveau riche, and Dibakar Banerjee's thoroughly real characters and inspiring attention to detail gives an amazingly slice-of-life feel to the film. Karthik Vijay's cinematography along with the excellent costume design and art direction makes each frame and surrounding come alive. The subtly depicted emotional turmoil and the expertly portrayed social portrait of an emerging class war makes Lucky's journey thoroughly compelling, and while the story of the film may seem one-note to some, it is frankly anything but that.

Abhay Deol couldn't be better cast in this role of a superchor with the face of a saint, and he turns in a splendidly understated and nuanced performance, one that holds our attention throughout without ever calling for it. This is a star turn, and Deol infuses Lucky with rare vulnerability and charm, making us root for the lovable thief all the way. The supporting cast is sparkling too, and while Paresh Rawal is an obvious joy to watch as he creates three wonderfully quirky characters, Neetu Chandra stuns with her attractive, graceful presence- she is definitely a talent to look out for.

OLLO is definitely one of the best films I've seen this year and in a long time, and it's a real pity that it arrives amongst us amidst some of the darkest and saddest times in India and the world. Here's ending this review with a prayer for peace, and with the hope that life comes back to normal. After all, in life as in films, the show has to go on...


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