NewsBytes Recommends: 'Good Luck' on Disney+ Hotstar—suspenseful, intriguing, and well-acted
What's the story
The short film Good Luck, starring Kunaal Roy Kapur, is cut from the same cloth as director Sujoy Ghosh's Ahalya, Copy, and his (very enjoyable and dreamy) segment Sex with Ex from Lust Stories 2.
Fast-paced, featuring interesting characters, and brimming with a constant sense of suspense, it grips you from the very beginning.
It's streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Story
Follows a salesman who sells good luck!
The film follows Peter, a salesman.
Doors are repeatedly slammed in his face and he meets rejection wherever he goes.
However, he is no ordinary salesman; he sells good luck to people, luring them with the prospect of a better life.
Jenny, a cafe owner, "buys" this good luck, only to realize that Peter has been hiding a dark secret all along.
#1
The core idea of the short film draws you
The most striking aspect of Good Luck is its clever, unique premise.
It keeps you constantly guessing and even though you may predict some parts of it, it never gets boring.
Till the final frame, the film continues to pull the rug from under your feet, and your interest in the story seldom wavers.
#2
Gives us real, authentic characters
Good Luck features several characters desperate for a stroke of fortuitous luck, so, they make a Faustian deal, not realizing its deadly consequences.
You connect with the characters, feel their palpable helplessness, and understand why they don't back away even when back luck, disguised as good fortune, comes knocking at their door.
Good Luck, thus, explores complex human emotions.
#3
The non-linear storytelling keeps you hooked
The narrative choice to tell the story in a flashback is interesting because it allows us to spend some time with Inspector Selva, played by Darshan Jariwala.
We don't know much about him, but we sense that he may play a crucial role in the story later.
In a way, the film gives us three protagonists—Jenny, Peter, and Selva.
Conclusion
Not perfect, but the storyline makes it enjoyable
Good Luck isn't perfect and slips a few times.
You feel the need to spend more time with some characters and realize that they are awkwardly handled.
It doesn't answer every question it raises and the dialogues could have been better, but it still deserves to be watched due to its performances, interesting premise, and crisp runtime.