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| STRIKER
MOVIE REVIEW |
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| Review
by : Harish V |
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Starring:
: Siddharth, Aditya Pancholi,
Anupam Kher, Padmapriya
Direction:
Chandan Arora
Music:
Vishal Bhardwaj, Shailendra Barve,
Gulzar, Blaaze, Amit Trivedi,
Yuvan Shankar Raja, Swanand Kirkire.
Production:
Studio 18, Indian Films.
Genre:
Crime drama. |
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A
name which we would usually
associate with a commercial
potboiler is actually a rugged
life story of a lower middle
class carom champion who has
been pushed in to the world
of gambling. This rather documentary
style story on the age old theme
of 'crime doesn't pay' impresses
but only in parts.
Surya (Siddharth), who just
wants to lead a normal life,
is pushed into the world of
gambling thanks to the wacky
risk-taking friend of his, Zaid.
But when Zaid double crosses
local gangster Jaleel, for his
own benefit, accidentally Surya
is pulled in the middle too.
Surya's life will never be the
same again.
Chandan Arora the director,
has got a pat on the back by
many critics for his previous
works and maybe he will get
some this time around too, mainly
because of the way he has told
the story, the natural settings,
and the ability to |
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have pulled brilliant performances from
all the actors. Arora who is also responsible
for the screenplay just loses it from the
start. The story of his childhood with such
intricate details is not needed and also
the long carom game sessions test your patience.
And after seeing how he learned carom in
such detail, it looks rather disappointing
to see how the director has shown the love
angle of the protagonist without any detail
or conviction. But once we settle down after
a few frowns thanks mainly to the amazingly
cute chemistry between the couple, the romantic
angle is cut for no apparent reason and
the effect of that on the protagonist's
life was not shown either. A hard-hitting
climax would have changed the overall feeling
but again it just falls flat.
But the movie works to an extent, thanks
to the excellent cast and crew choices.
The cinematography by P.S.Vinod is very
natural, the 80s setting has also been well
captured. Editing by Sajit Unnikrishnan
is not clean with loose-end scenes aplenty.
Music by Blaaze, Amit Trivedi. Shailendra
Barve, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Swanand Kirkire,
Shailendra Barve and Vishal Bhardwaj works
amazingly well with the visuals but Shailendra
with his Cham Cham steals the first prize
though. Dialogues by Chandan Arora himself
seems straight out of life.
Siddharth after almost 4 years is back on
the bollywood turf and has excelled as young
Surya. He is believable and plays amazing
carom (don't miss the scene where he pockets
all the coins in a single shot). The remarkable
ease at which he showcases his emotions
is a treat. Aditya Pancholi after a long
time gets a decent role and he does well.
Vidya Malvade looks good and gives a cool
performance. Nicollette Bird looks cute
and before we start liking her role she
is cut off. Anupam Kher is wasted. Seema
Biswas & Anoop Soni portray their characters
well. It the Bollywood debut of the southern
siren Padma Priya, and she is again wasted
in an insignificant role but she looks hot
and does her job without much hassle. But
its Ankur Vikal as Zaid who is a revelation,
he does his work with excellence and competes
with Siddharth in many scenes. An actor
to watch out for.
The trailers and the song which has made
Striker a news has showcased it to be a
romantic movie with a sports angle to it
and people expecting a cute romantic drama
with a thrilling element in it would be
disappointed for sure. Watch it for the
amazing performance and if you are a carom
board game fan.
Verdict:
Striker misses to follow up the red
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