Success is Redefined In LUCK BY CHANCE and BEGIN AGAIN

There are two films, which feature a couple torn apart by their differing definitions of success. The first is Zoya Akhtar's 2009 satire Luck By Chance starring Konkona Sensharma and Farhan Akhtar. The other is John Carney's sophomore film Begin Again, with Keira Knightley and Adam Levine. I recently saw both films, and I thought how each film puts two artists in a relationship only for fame, success, and ambition to steer them in different directions. Luck By Chance is set in the Indian film industry, while Begin Again takes on the music industry.

In Luck By Chance, Sona (Sensharma) is a struggling actress. She meets Vikram (Akhtar), another struggling actor. By chance, Sona leaves Vikram's photos on the desk of a producer who's been cheating her and he gives the photos to another producer. This guy (Rishi Kapoor) is looking for a new actor in his next production to star alongside an actress named Nikki Walia (Isha Sharavani), daughter of veteran actress Neena Walia (Dimple Kapadia). Sona, meanwhile struggles to get film roles and has to watch Vikram reach superstardom when his debut film is a big hit.

In Begin Again, Gretta (Knightley) and Dave (Levine) arrive in New York when Dave scores a record deal, which comes with a lot of perks. After Gretta finds out that Dave cheated on her while on a business trip to LA, she breaks up with him. She meets burnt out record company exec Dan (Mark Ruffalo) at an open mic, where she sings a song. Dan offers her a record deal, but Gretta isn't looking to be a star. Instead, the two decide to make an indie album on the streets of New York.

Both Sona and Gretta are artists, trying to make it in a decidedly male-dominated industry. However, the two women differ in their approaches to their work. Sona wants to be a star, she wants that opportunity to become a respected actress. Gretta, on the other hand, tells Dan that she's not Judy Garland off the bus looking for stardom. What are Gretta's aspirations? Begin Again doesn't really address her long-term goals, and I don't think that's a mistake. During an extended flashback showing the end of Gretta and Dave's relationship, it becomes clear how quickly she was sidelined as he ascended to stardom. She's shown bringing coffee to musicians, more like a desperate intern than the talent's girlfriend. Dave says to the record company guy that Gretta should be a part of his record, but Gretta interjects that she's happy to be along for the ride. That feels more like a rehearsed line, one to calm down the suits worried about how a girlfriend could control their star. Once Dave reaches the star level, it's clear that his objectives are changing. His music becomes the kind that is commercial and radio-friendly, rather than the intimate, heart-baring music that Gretta writes for him.

Sona too finds herself in the offscreen character of "supportive girlfriend" when Vikram's career takes off. Like Dave, Vikram is changed by stardom. Actually it's not that he changes, but that stardom brings out a different side to him. Luck By Chance really depicts the difference between movie star and actor. Vikram rejects doing theatre, even when he's struggling and looking for work. It's leading man roles or nothing. And I can't forget to mention that Vikram gets his big break by Sona leaving his pictures on a producer's desk. His career can be boiled down to "right place, right time." It's the archetypal movie star myth: a star is born by chance with a dash of luck (hey, that's the movie title!).

FYI, SPOILERS BELOW

Neither relationship survives the film, though it could have been very easy for John Carney and Zoya Akhtar to shoehorn a happy ending. Instead, each film ends with their lead character empowered enough to reject a familiar relationship and redefine their careers. Interestingly enough, Dave and Vikram enter into the mainstream, relishing their big star status. Gretta and Sona take smaller projects, enjoying that they are at least doing what they love. I don't think either Begin Again or Luck By Chance judges the men for choosing to pursue stardom, but there is a sadness with each character's decision. Two people whose lives have to diverge from each other is inherently sad, but ultimately it's for the better.

What I find interesting about both films is how each redefines success. Sometimes we think of success and wealth as interchangeable. Making a lot of money, being well known for your work. But Gretta and Sona find their own version of success. They're not big stars, nor do they end up with any guy. But in the end, they choose themselves, and find happiness for themselves outside of the patriarchal order. They might not have the career they dreamed of, instead they are creating new dreams and new avenues for finding happiness.

It's no coincidence that in both films it's the male who finds mainstream stardom, and the woman who works under that level. In both films, sexism plays a major part in Gretta's and Sona's journeys. I mentioned earlier how Gretta quickly gets dismissed. Sona gets told that no male movie star would want to work with her; the new trend is hiring models or star kids. She's paid her dues, but keeps getting dragged along with promises that will never be kept. Sona manages to find her calling, but it's a path she had to create herself. Contrast that to Vikram, whose career was given to him through luck. Sure, he used his charms at some points and that does take skill. But even he doesn't seem to realize how good luck led him to be a star.

What is success? What does it mean to thrive in your career? These are the questions these film ask. Both films follow their heroines along similar paths. Both films end with the women on different modes of transportation, a bike for Gretta and a taxi for Sona, on the road to their own destiny. It's an interesting coincidence, but one that makes sense. Their lives aren't written out, but waiting to be discovered. And they are taking themselves to the next destination.

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