Set in a Mumbai ghetto in the mid '80's and based on true life accounts, Striker is a story of triumph of human spirit over indomitable odds.
Born into a poor family, Surya grows up with few luxuries. Poor health keeps him away from school often and that is when his elder brother, Chandrakant, introduces him to carrom. Quite similar to pool in its concept, carrom is common among people from middle and lower income groups all over India. Precision and skill are vital to playing the game well; attitude and confidence are crucial to win. The underground carrom scene has been breeding hustlers and gamblers for many years. Winning the Junior Carrom Championship at 12 is not enough to keep Surya's fire for the sport burning through adolescence. 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 all his hard earned money he had saved for going to Dubai. Surya is forced to cross paths with Jaleel. Since the 70's when the settlements in the ghetto began, Jaleel had acquired a strong hold in the area. He had his hands in every illicit activity since then. Feeding on the weaknesses of people, Jaleel was the self-proclaimed king of Malwani. Reintroduced to Carrom by his childhood friend Zaid, this time to the hustling scene, Surya starts playing again. Being gypped of his hand earned money by the same man who had caused misery for many families; Surya decides to take on Jaleel on his turf. His patience and cool attitude are Surya's biggest strengths. But life has ways of testing even the strong.
Striker is not a film about good versus evil. It is the story of a friendship, life in the city of dreams in the 80's, a story of a game that is most common but non-existent. A story of a Carrom player who grows up on the fringes of a criminal existence but does not succumb to it.
Okay, so this film does go back in time and picks up a story from Mumbai's dark night that followed the demolition of the Babri mosque on December 6, 1992. Under ordinary circumstances, it might have seemed dated. But today, with the city warding off another divisive and equally dark night that's dangerously looming on the horizon, this time due to the scourge of regionalism, Chandan Arora's Striker, acquires a whole new meaning. Don't divide our city, all you goons, goondas, politicos and administrators, it cries out aloud, through its moving tale of two young lads -- one Hindu, one Muslim -- who try to lead a life of normalcy, despite the shadow of crime and communalism. Childhood buddies, Surya (Siddharth) and Zaid (Ankur Vikal) not only end up toasting the undying bond of friendship, they also salute the spirit of communal harmony, characteristic of their city, through their carefree camaraderie...
But the real hero of the film is Malvani, the ghetto where the two grow up and dream of escape. The director captures the area with artistic detail and an edgy urgency that brings to life another compelling cameo of Mumbai, India's Maximum City. The crummy interiors of the claustrophobic dwellings where families may be low on money, but not on love and the violent alleys where death lurks round the corner in the guise of a naked sword, all coalesce as a perfect backdrop for the young and rebellious Surya to come of age. Although he discovers his skills at carrom at a young age, Surya first tries to find life beyond the grimy, crime-infested carrom clubs that dot Malvani. He wants to get away from the mach-mach (confusion) and make money in not-so-distant Dubai. But when an agent dupes him of his hard-earned money, he's forced to find sustenance in Jaleel's (Aditya Pancholi), the local goonda, carrom clubs where it isn't the striker alone that's at stake. Life's a risky business too, specially since Jaleel wants to take advantage of the communal tension rampant in the city to play his local politics.
Director Chandan Arora has already proved his desire to make different cinema with his earlier two ventures: Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon and Main, Meri Patni aur Woh. With Striker he continues to successfully strike out for new grounds. The high point of the film is its authenticity, its heartwarming tale and its performances. Siddharth's Surya is a fine follow-up act to his Rang De Basanti's new age revolutionary. Others to watch out for are Aditya Pancholi who reinvents himself as the local goon, Ankur Vikal, as Zaid, the spaced-out bird on a wire, Vidya Malvade as the understanding elder sister and Padmapriya, the tart with a heart.
Don't believe the lack lustre promos. The film has more meat -- and meaning -- than it promises.
