I've been thinking about Chandan Arora's latest film, "Striker", for days now, not sure what to write about it. I've seen it twice now -- once on my own, once as part of a watch-along organized by Beth.
I reacted to one scene, and its consequences in particular, and wondered if perhaps it were just me. But during the watch-along (organized on Google Wave) I swear, you could hear the stunned silence across the intertubes at that point in the film.
Since Sunday, a lot of discussion has been taking place about the film, most of it happening on Twitter. And I've been more and more disturbed by a few things, not the least of which is that mainstream reviewers have, for the most part, ignored the plot point in question. And many of us who have objected have been accused of doing so because we're women.
Which is bollocks. We're objecting to it because the scene had no context to justify what takes place in it, and because the action is so out of character for the protagonist as to be, well, slightly shocking.
Here's the thing: Striker is the first Indian film to be put up on YouTube -- viewers outside India have been given (mostly) free and legal access to the film at the same time as its theatrical release in India (there is a $4.99 rental fee for folks in the U.S, and the film is blocked in India). This is an amazing opportunity for those of us who have limited access to films in the cinema, and often have to wait for the arrival on DVD.
And the makers of the film are looking at this model to see if this could be a viable form of distribution. They've encouraged us, in particular, to ask non-Indians to watch the film.
I've been reluctant to do so -- not because the film is bad, it isn't. In fact, there is a great deal about it that's quite good, from the cinematography to the meticulous research done on the time period, setting, and even the carrom games that form the central thread of the film. The acting is good, the soundtrack is terrific. To be honest, the weak point of the film is its screenplay, though even that has solid moments.
However -- I thought, okay, you want honest feedback, from non-Indians, and perhaps from people who've not had much exposure to Indian cinema. So I'm challenging the folks out there who I know -- the podcasters in particular. Would you be willing to watch the film? Would you be willing to set aside a couple of hours of your time (pretty quickly, I'm not sure how long the film will be up)? And then, would you be willing to record your impressions and feedback and send it to me? I'd really like to know what others think, and I'd like to be able to share that my reactions really aren't just because I'm a woman (which I find slightly insulting, but there we are).
Or, if you want to write something and send it to me, or put something in the comments here, or write up a blog post I can link to -- do let me know, though, because I want to be able to pass this information on.
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