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Consider this. Telugu star Siddharth plays the role of Karan R Singhania in one of 2006s biggest hits, Rang De Basanti, and manages to shine despite the presence of stalwart Aamir Khan.

And even though hes flooded with offers from Bollywood after that, the actor finally says yes to his debut as a solo hero in Hindi films in 2010, four years after RDB. This definitely speaks volumes about Indian Films Striker, where Siddharth portrays the role of a carrom player, Surya, who grows up on the fringes of crime in Mumbai in the mid 80s but does not succumb to it. For Siddharth, this role was everything he could have asked for, for his entry as a solo hero in Hindi films.

Ive done only nine films in nine years, so that itself shows how choosy I am. Ive invested a lot in Striker and I would like to tell my fans to come for this film with not just high but very high expectations, says a confident Siddharth. To play the role of a carrom player convincingly, he had to interact with actual carrom players and learn their body language. I had to undergo carrom training for two months. Also, since the character stays in Malwani in Mumbai, I went to live there for a few weeks, he adds.

Considering sports films in India are mainly about cricket, how does he think a game like carrom would attract the audience to theatres? I think everybody, in their childhood at least, has played carrom, so that connect is there. Also, this film is about the game on a very basic level, otherwise it is the story of an underdog, a story of the triumph of the human spirit over odds, says Siddharth. Agrees director Chandan Arora, The film is the story of a guy who happens to have the skills of this game. And whats Siddharths last word on the film? Its my best work till date, he smiles.