Striker

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.