Zoya gets lucky with Tabu
By: Subhash K Jha
September 2, 2004
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Tabu
Zoya Akhtar, daughter of Javed Akhtar and sister of Farhan, has finally cast the lead on her first directorial film Luck By Chance.

After negotiations with Madhuri Dixit did not work out, Zoya has got lucky with Tabu.

“Tabu is excellent,” says Zoya who admits that Madhuri Dixit was the first choice. “She was approached. But things didn’t work out,” she says.

Luck By Chance is an insider’s look at Bollywood. “It’s real. I’ll be looking at everyone from superstars to spot boys. Everyone I’ve met here is a character in my film, though not in any direct way.”

Besides Tabu, other big names are being finalised for the cast. But Luck By Chance will also have real-life cameos by actors and journalists.

“And not just recognisable faces. It could be a studio-hand whom no one knows by name or a high-profile journalist. In that sense Luck By Chance would be like Robert Altman’s The Player,” says Zoya who has assisted Farhan on both his films. “Farhan is not just the producer of Luck By Chance, he’s writing the dialogues and also doing a cameo, playing himself.”

As for the title, Luck By Chance, Zoya explains: “It’s such a colloquial Mumbai phrase. Once people see the promos they’ll know what it’s about.”

The film’s shoot begins in February.