A TOPICAL MOVIE
By K. N. Gupta
By Eye TV India Bureau
Director: Chandan Arora
Cast: Siddharth, Ankur Vikal, Vidya Malwade, Aditya Pancholi
Critic's I-view
| click for larger view |
 |
'Striker' is the only good movie out of the three movies released this Friday, February 5, 2010. The other two are 'Hangman' and 'Phaans: Ek Jasoos Ki Kahani'. The three belong to the low budget category of movies - a relatively new phenomenon in Bollywood - and have, therefore, failed to get a good theatrical release. But despite 'Striker' defies the small budget label in that its not another little masala flick but also quite topical. Could be a coincidence though!
The movie is about two childhood buddies growing together in the dark by-lanes of Mumbai. The friends hail from different religions at a time when the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai is faced with acute regional feelings. While today's religious tensions are considered more by the higher class than the common man, the fact remains that religious tensions exist and cause divide and rift. Director Chandan Arora isn't new to the industry with two credits in different genres - 'Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon' and 'Main, Meri Patni aur Woh'. 'Striker' adds another genre to his cap.
| click for larger view |
 |
Surya is played by Siddharth and Zaid by Ankur Vikal who bond very well in the Mumbai's ghetto of Malvani. It is a story of triumph of human spirit over indomitable odds. Surya grows up with poor health that keeps him often away from school. And that is when his elder brother, Chandrakant, introduces him to the game of carom. Carom is a common indoor game among middle and lower income people. The underground carom scene has been breeding gamblers in ghettos for years. Winning the Junior Carom Championship at a tender age of 12 is not enough to keep Surya's fire for the sport burning through adolescence.
| click for larger view |
 |
Hopes for a job in Dubai replace the passion for carom as Surya grows into a young man! Then, a bogus overseas employment agent fails him by duping Surya on the pretext of sending him to Dubai for a job. Surya loses all the money he had earned and saved by his sheer hard work. And, he is almost forced to cross paths with Jaleel bhai, a goon played by none other than Aditya Pancholi. Jaleel has acquired a stronghold in the ghetto settlements since the 70's. With weak people barely fending for themselves, Jaleel acquires the status of the self-proclaimed king of Malwani.
| click for larger view |
 |
Reintroduced to carom by his childhood friend Zaid, this time to hustle, Surya starts playing again. A fire raging inside since being duped of hard earned money by the same man who had caused misery for many families, Surya decides to take on Jaleel on his turf. Jaleel may be ruthless, but patience and cool attitude are Surya's strengths. It may sound a good verus evil story, but 'Striker' isn't that. It is more a saga of friendship, life in the city of dreams in the 80's. And, a story of a carom player who grows up on the fringes of a criminal existence but does not succumb to it.
| click for larger view |
 |
Critically speaking, 'Striker' should strike a chord with today's audience. It deserves more attention than a usually small budget movie because it's topical in today's social tension prevailing in Mumbai. Director Chandan Arora succeeds in minutely depicting the life in Mumbai's ghettos. Some of the credit must go to his training by director-filmmaker like Ram Gopal Varma. Arora's characterization is perfect especially of Surya played by Siddarth, his friend Zaid by Ankur Vikal of the 'Slumdog Millionaire' Mamman fame and the goon played by Aditya Pancholi. Vidya Malvade plays an understanding elder sister.
| click for larger view |
 |
Arora may have to rethink co-writing as the lone weak spot is a patchy and weak script despite which the cast performs as best as it can. Lack of cohesion in events is evident from the two romantic sub-plots that don't connect well. Similarly, the movie goes between 1992 and the 1980s without reason. If the effort of the writer was to relate 80's and the 1992 Babri mosque demolition, then it is a failed endeavor. This seems the reason why the otherwise two hour drama seems stretched and feels like a three hour one. Music by Shailendra Barve, Amit Trivedi and others fits the movie.
Overall, go watch 'Striker' as it is worth the time and money.
[Movie Trailers]
