Based on Anuja Chauhan’s 2008 novel by the same name, The Zoya Factor tells the story of its eponymous character in a quirky endearing fashion. Zoya Solanki and Sonam Kapoor’s Cheshire cat’s grin do complement each other. The movie opens with Shah Rukh Khan’s voice-over telling us about the baby who was born on the day when India won the 1983 World Cup. Her father (Sanjay Kapoor) declares her to be a gift of the Cricket Gods to the family. Zoya however grows up cursing her luck until she finally declares that “my personal life sucks and my professional life sucks.”
A junior copywriter in an advertising firm, a fortunate stroke of serendipity takes Zoya to the Indian cricket team’s breakfast table. Soon everyone seems to be taken in by her “lucky charm story” except for the very good-looking team captain Nikhil Khoda (Dulquer Salmaan). But how does one explain the fact that having breakfast with Zoya would almost always lead to heroic wins on the field and her absence means a crushing defeat!! However another question pops up- how long will the Zoya factor last? Turns out for us it’s only till the interval.
Soon everyone seems to be taken in by her “lucky charm story” except for the very good-looking team captain Nikhil Khoda (Dulquer Salmaan). But how does one explain the fact that having breakfast with Zoya would almost always lead to heroic wins on the field and her absence means a crushing defeat!!
Director Abhishek Sharma does a fine job of giving us a first half that’s an absolute lark! The premise promises some good chuckles and we manage to suspend our disbelief and buy into the contrived plot. The charm of the lead pair and a great ensemble cast makes it easy to do so!
The second half however is another story. It’s like watching the highlights of a match we have already seen. The predictable trajectory , marred by repetition proves to be its undoing. As long as the proceedings were kept light and frothy it was enjoyable but as soon as the film begins to take itself seriously the story seems preposterously dim-witted and not engaging enough.
As long as the proceedings were kept light and frothy it was enjoyable but as soon as the film begins to take itself seriously the story seems preposterously dim-witted and not engaging enough.
The Zoya Factor still isn’t a lost cause. The cricket sequences have been brilliantly crafted. From the commentary that is absolutely hilarious to the casting that is spot on. Sikander Kher as Zoya’s brother, Angad Bedi as the disgruntled ex-captain and Manu Rishi as a sweet talking slippery cricket board official are particularly good. It also helps that both Sonam and Dulquer are effortlessly charming and this easy going vibe will ensure that you leave the hall with a smile.
Not completely without flaws but for all that it gets right - The Zoya Factor can be quite enjoyable. To put it in cricketing terms - pity they couldn’t turn the singles into four’s and sixes as often as one would have liked. I’ll give it a generous 3 Quints out of 5!
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