Some
stories
seem
very
interesting
on
paper.
You
get
hooked,
perhaps
captivated.
But
there
are
times
when
these
stories
lose
sheen
when
translated
on
celluloid.
As
a
storyteller,
you
need
to
have
the
convincing
power
to
keep
the
viewer
hooked.
Also,
you
ought
to
know
when
and
how
to
conclude
the
story.
Like
they
say,
never
stretch
a
story
beyond
a
point
Striker,
directed
by
Chandan
Arora,
falters
because
the
story
doesn't
arrest
your
attention
in
entirety
and
also,
it
seems
like
a
never-ending
ride,
even
though
the
running
time
is
approx.
2
hours.
Frankly,
the
story
overstays
its
welcome.
Cinema
is
all
about
narrating
stories
and
Chandan
Arora
makes
a
sincere
attempt
to
narrate
one
in
Striker,
but
the
multiple
tracks
and
layers
in
the
film
act
as
a
spoilsport.
The
screenplay
is
patchy
and
the
focus
shifts
from
one
episode
to
another
constantly.
It's
not
sacrilegious
to
have
multiple
tracks
in
a
film,
but
you
need
to
conclude
each
track
before
the
actual
story
reaches
its
culmination.
Clearly,
the
screenplay
writing
lets
Striker
down.
Also,
the
subject
material
is
very
Mumbai-centric
and
therefore,
will
appeal
to
a
miniscule
audience.
Final
word?
The
Striker
doesn't
strike!
Set
in
a
Mumbai
ghetto
in
the
mid
80s,
Surya
[Siddharth]
grows
up
with
few
luxuries.
Poor
health
keeps
him
away
from
school
often
and
that
is
when
his
elder
brother,
Chandrakant
[Anoop
Soni],
introduces
him
to
carrom.
Hopes
for
a
job
in
Dubai
replaces
the
passion
for
carrom
as
Surya
grows
into
a
young
man.
Duped
by
a
bogus
overseas
employment
agency,
Surya
loses
his
hard
earned
money
he
had
saved
for
going
to
Dubai.
Surya
is
forced
to
cross
paths
with
Jaleel
[Aditya
Pancholi].
Reintroduced
to
carrom
by
his
childhood
friend
Zaid
[Ankur
Vikal],
Surya
starts
playing
again.
Being
robbed
of
his
hard
earned
money
by
the
same
man
who
had
caused
misery
for
many
families,
Surya
decides
to
take
on
Jaleel
on
his
turf.
First
things
first.
Even
though
Striker
attempts
to
narrate
the
story
of
a
carrom
player,
depicting
the
highs
and
lows
in
his
life,
the
question
is,
does
it
have
recall
value
after
the
show
has
concluded?
The
game
of
carrom
being
used
for
gambling
may
sound
interesting
and
Chandan
Arora
should've
stuck
to
the
core
issue,
instead
of
drifting
into
multi-tracks.
Like,
for
instance,
the
romance
-
between
Siddharth
and
his
neighbour
-
is
concluded
abruptly.
The
girl
disappears
suddenly
after
her
father
spots
Siddharth
and
her
in
the
train.
But
pray
why?
Naah,
no
explanations
are
offered.
Ditto
for
Anupam
Kher's
character.
He
seems
hell-bent
on
putting
an
end
to
Aditya
Pancholi's
reign
of
terror,
but
when
Kher
comes
face
to
face
with
Pancholi,
all
he
does
is
play
an
intermediary
between
Pancholi
and
his
arch
rival,
whom
Pancholi
assumes
had
betrayed
him.
The
track
between
Siddharth
and
Padma
Priya,
a
fisher
woman,
seems
forced
in
the
screenplay.
Even
the
finale
-
the
death
of
his
sister
[Vidya
Malvade]
and
brother-in-law
during
communal
riots
and
the
subsequent
fight-to-finish
with
Pancholi
-
looks
unreal,
when
the
film
seems
to
be
following
a
realistic
pattern.
Chandan
Arora's
choice
of
the
story
is
right,
but
the
erratic
screenplay
writing
will
cost
him
dear.
However,
there's
no
denying
that
he
has
handled
a
number
of
individualistic
scenes
well.
The
music
[multiple
music
composers]
is
soothing.
P.S.
Vinod's
cinematography
is
perfect.
Siddharth
is
as
natural
as
natural
can
be.
He
is
superb.
Aditya
Pancholi
looks
noxious
and
enacts
his
part
just
too
wonderfully.
Anupam
Kher
does
an
okay
job,
partly
because
his
character
is
not
well-defined.
Padma
Priya
looks
confident.
Ankur
Vikal
does
very
well.
Seema
Biswas
gets
into
the
skin
of
the
character.
Vidya
Malvade
doesn't
get
much
scope.
Anoop
Soni
is
perfect.
The
actress
playing
Noorie
is
passable.
On
the
whole,
Striker
lacks
a
solid
script
to
strike
a
chord.