'Luck' promises death-defying stunts

He became popular right after his hit debut, but his last film 'Kidnap' didn't do him much good. Now Bollywood's latest heartthrob Imran Khan is hoping to hit the bull's eye with the edge-of-the-seat thriller 'Luck', which releases Friday.

The film is important for not only Imran but also director Soham Shah and its debutante leading lady Shruthi Haasan.

Shah, who disappeared after his 2004 directorial debut 'Kaal' was panned by the critics, is back to prove his mettle with 'Luck'. It is also the launch pad of Tamil thespian Kamal Haasan's daughter Shruthi. In short, a lot is riding on the movie.

Packed with death-defying stunts, 'Luck' is being promoted as an adrenaline-pumping, edge-of-the-seat thriller.

It revolves around mafia don Musa (Sanjay Dutt) whose only ambition in life is to revolutionise the betting industry. For him life is a gamble, and what better way to manipulate the odds than play with those with luck on their side.

The gripping saga has a host of characters from different parts of the world, each with Lady Luck in their favour. With millions at stake, how far each of them go in courting danger and deceit is what will lead the narrative to its climax.

The audiences can look forward to some daredevilry by Imran - he has gone underwater with sharks and has jumped from a helicopter on to a burning train.

In fact, while shooting one of the stunts, Imran injured himself, but he is unfazed.

"Shooting an action film can lead to plenty of injuries. The film required a lot of action stunts, jumping, running, kicking, etc. I got to do a variety of stunts. There was an underwater sequence where we had to shoot with sharks and a cage. For that we were trained in scuba diving. Then there was another one where I had to jump on to a speeding train that was on fire and fight on the train - those were exciting," Imran said.

Shah seems to be fascinated with rugged terrains - if he shot his horror thriller 'Kaal' in the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, he went to Namibia to shoot 'Luck' and the final output is said to be a visual delight.

Composer siblings Salim and Sulaiman Merchant have churned

'I saw death very closely in Luck'

One of the leading stars in Bhojpuri cinema, Ravi Kissen crossed over to Hindi movies after his stint in Bigg Boss. He will be seen in Soham Shah's Luck, also starring Sanjay Dutt, Imran Khan, Shruti Haasan, Mithun Chakraborty, Danny Denzongpa and Chitrashi Rawat.

He talks to Patcy N about how luck held during his journey from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, to Mumbai.

This is your second innings in Bollywood.

I came to Mumbai in 1990 to try my luck in films. But I did not get any success. My work was appreciated in Tere Naam but nothing happened. So I moved to Bhojpuri cinema. Now, I have got a chance to work in Bollywood again.

I did not think I would get to work in Luck and Mani Ratnam's Raavan. After Shyam Benegal's Welcome to Sajjanpur, I got another film with him, Abba Ka Kuan. I am not only getting to work with big filmmakers but am also getting better roles.

What do you think went wrong the first time?

When I came from my village, I was not very smart. I thought it was more important to survive. But if you sign one wrong film, you go back five years in life. Besides, I did not have a godfather or any help from anyone. So it's natural to make mistakes and fumble. But I have learnt because of this failure. My dreams are coming true now.

I have done 140 films in total -- 100 Bhojpuri and 40 Hindi films. Before I would work in 13-14 films a year but now I plan to do four to six films a year.

Imran, LUCK ke liye sab kuch karega...

Aamir and his nephew Imran Khan may have dissimilar nature and temperament otherwise, but when it comes to work trust the Mama-Bhanja to be absolutely similar in treating their professional lives!
While mamu Aamir has been known for his perfectionism and dedication towards work from ages, bhanja Imran is also no less on that front. He will make sure he meets his commitments on time.

We hear, despite the heavy downpour on Tuesday, where every Mumbaiker was rushing to reach their home as soon as possible, our charming actor was on his way to the Famous Studios at Mahalaxmi to shoot for popular TV show 'Sa Re Ga Ma Li'l Champs' in order to promote his upcoming release LUCK, directed by Soham Shah. Not only this, the actor who was down with fever and suffering from cold, even sung 2-3 songs on the request of his fans.

Well we can very well say here 'Jaisa Mama Waise Bhanja!

It Needed a Lot of Luck

Soham Shah's Luck is up for release soon. Going by the promos, one realizes that it is a movie which is high on action and thrills. But what is not really known is that most of the dare devil and death defying stunts in the movie were performed by the members of the cast themselves.

It seems that lead actor Imran Khan got his famous bushy eyebrows singed during an action sequence in the movie, which involved a burning train. For debutant Shruti Haasan, the action scene involved being in the water with live sharks, a fact which almost scared the life out of character actor Ravi Kissen, who also stars in the movie. He is also going to be seen soon in a prominent role in Mani Ratnam's Raavan. One will also see Chak De! girl Chitranshi Rawat in the movie. This young actress had to get over her fear of the water and the sharks during an action sequence in the movie. It seems that Luck was on their side and the stunts turned out well enough. Now it remains to be seen if their Luck will hold on and do wonders for the film at the box office.

An Extravanganza of Luck

Promotions for Shree Ashtavinayak CineVision Ltd's latest offering LUCK, directed by Soham Shah took off with a thrilling start on Wednesday 1st July when the cast & crew of LUCK descended at The Intercontinental, Andheri(E) for a special affair. The event kick started with none other than the lead heroine of the film, debutant Shruti Haasan crooning the title track 'Aazma Luck' and entertaining the audiences with a scintillating performance!!! With her unconventional voice and stunning looks, Shruti had the spectators spellbound with her sizzling number!

This was followed by an exciting AV where each of the actors invited the crowds to place their bets on them! And the excitement and the exhilaration in the air mounted when each of cast members actually emerged on stage one after the other! Post the AV clips, the cast of the film, comprising of Imran Khan, Shruti Haasan, Ravi Kishaan & Chitrashi Rawat were joined by Producer Dhilin Mehta & Director Soham Shah on stage for an open session with the media. The event concluded with a 'Lucky Draw' for the invitees where the winners not only got exciting prizes but also a chance to pose for the shutterbugs with their favourite stars on stage.


With so much Luck & Glamour around, this was surely one of the most memorable evenings in B Town!