Padmapriya ready to grace Bollywood

After winning enormous accolades for her spectacular performances in Malayalam and Tamil films like Kaazhcha (2004), Naalu Pennungal (2007), Mirugam (2007), Paradesi (2007) and Satham Podathey (2007), talented actress Padmapriya is now all set to debut in Bollywood with director Chandan Arora's upcoming period film Striker.

"Set at the backdrop of Mumbai in the 1990s, Striker is a period film, based on the life of a carrom board striker. It has Tamil-Telugu actor Siddharth playing the main protagonist as the carrom player Surya; I play a bar owner," Padmapriya said.

Striker, which was supposed to start rolling in 2008, got delayed due to call sheet schedules. Now everything is ready to take off. The film also stars Vidya Malvade, Nicolette Bird, Anupam Kher, Seema Biswas and Aditya Pancholi in major roles.

"It's not really a true story; it's more of an account of real lives that we've fictionalised a little," says Arora, who himself produces the film. "I think producing my own film gives me the freedom to make the kind of films I believe in. It gives me complete authority to make the film that way I do," he added. Striker is the third film by Arora, whose previous ventures were Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon and Main Meri Patni Aur Woh.