Chandan Arora turns producer for 'Striker'

Mumbai, Oct 10 (IANS) After directing "Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon" and "Pati Patni Aur Woh", Chandan Arora has turned producer for his next film "Striker".

"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 the way I do. So yes, after working with Ram Gopal Varma and UTV for my first two films, I am my own producer for the third film," Arora told IANS.

Arora, who is also directing "Striker", a film on carrom and the Mumbai slums, will get independent finances.

"Money will be pooled in from various sources. But for all practical purposes I'll be the producer of 'Striker'."

Why the need to get into the economics of filmmaking?

"Then only I can make the film that I want to...when I have complete autonomy. 'Striker' isn't just a film about the game of carrom. Nor is it only about life in the slums. It takes into view the entire sub-culture and slum life in Mumbai from the early 1980s to around 1992.

"To be honest to my vision I need a kind of free hand that is affordable only with financial freedom," Arora explained.

"Striker" stars Tamil star Siddharth in his first Hindi language outing since "Rang De Basanti". In Arora's film, Siddharth's character will actually step into the proletarian province.

"Siddharth is perfect for the protagonist's part. He speaks fluent Hindi, understands the slum character's ability to stay honest in spite of crime and muck around him and is very good at the game of carrom. Others in the slum have half a dozen cases pending against them. The hero's record remains untarnished," the director said.

Will Siddharth do for carrom what Shah Rukh Khan did for hockey in "Chak De! India"?

Laughed Arora, "Like I said 'Striker' isn't just about carrom board. It's a microcosmic view of the entire slum, similar to Sudhir Mishra's 'Dharavi' in scope."

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