What did Bollywood Learn From Striker?

A lot has changed in Bollywood since the release of Chandan Arora’s Striker in 2010, but there were lessons from the action drama that have reverberated through the industry ever since. Despite being released in cinemas throughout India, it also dropped on YouTube at the same time. Although this turned out to be a grave error from production company Studio 18, it did foreshadow a marketing model that has been more commonly used, and to greater effect, in recent times.

2010 Film Was First to Premier on YouTube

While Striker is predominantly known only by Indian viewers, it does hold a record for doing something that no other Indian movie had done before it. The picture starring Siddharth is known for being the first-ever Indian film to drop on YouTube in conjunction with its theatrical release date.
Striker didn’t exactly set a trend with this, but it did preempt a popular model that is now being used more often in Hollywood. A number of recent films that have had theatrical releases have also dropped on streaming services at the same time. Godzilla vs. Kong came out on HBO Max and was hugely successful, and The Suicide Squad is set to do the same later this year.

Fans Enjoy Reliving Scenes From the Picture

Fans of Striker enjoy being able to play carrom as they do in the film, or they can choose to re-enact the casino scenes. Table games are hugely popular in India at sites like Genesis, an online casino in India. Roulette is one of the most-played options here, where there are numerous variants to choose from such as Immersive Roulette and European Roulette. This is, perhaps, why Striker was considered a great film by critics. It was highly relatable with the activities and lifestyles involved.
One of the main games played in the film is carrom, which is a hugely popular Asian tabletop game. The name of the picture, Striker, refers to the pieces that are used to push the carrom men and queen towards the pockets. This created a clever layering effect throughout the film.

Received Critical Acclaim Despite Faring Poorly

It was fairly clear that the reason Striker was a commercial failure was because it was made available for free. It received more than 800,000 views in the first two weeks on the streaming platform and, if these people had viewed it in the cinema, it would have generated healthy returns. The picture was favored by critics as well, making its meager box office take even more disappointing.
Since the release of Striker, a number of other Indian films have been made available to watch on YouTube. However, most production companies are now aware that they should wait a few weeks before offering the films up for free. This idea has also led to the rise of subscription-based streaming services in India, on which a lot of Bollywood content is now being released.