 Kapadia was cast in Zoya Akhtar's first directorial venture, Luck By Chance (2009), a satirical take on the Hindi film industry. She played the part of Neena Walia, an erstwhile superstar — referred to in the film as "a crocodile in a chiffon saree" — who struggles to launch her young daughter in the movie business. Luck By Chance opened to a warm critical response, though its financial income was modest. Critics were appreciative of Kapadia's performance, which earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at Filmfare. Deepa Karmalkar from Screen characterised her as "gloriously bitchy", while Sukanya Verma from Rediff hailed her as "stunning, striking, storming".
