Director: Amit Ravindernath Sharma
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Priya Mani, Gajraj Rao and others
Where: In theatres from April 10
Rating: 2.5 stars
The much-hyped Maidaan, the first attempt at making a sports drama/biopic by filmmaker Amit Ravindernath Sharma of Badhaai Ho fame, is somewhere in between the good and bad. The film has a predictable and convenient screenplay with a lengthy runtime of 181 minutes, and the film is flawed and looks like one of those replicas of Shah Rukh Khan’s 2007 film Chak De! India.
Chak De! India was more about the dynamics amongst the members of the women’s hockey team alongside a bit of the journey of the protagonist but Maidaan is solely a biographical representation of Syed Abdul Rahim, the celebrated coach of the Indian football team. The film highlights how, under his supervision, India won gold at the 1962 Asia Games, which is the only time our country has won the gold in 64 years.
Syed Abdul Rahim (Ajay Devgn), a righteous coach of Indian football team faces turbulence when the committee at the federation asks him to resign from his post due to his not-so-cool track record. But soon after a life-altering event, he requests the management to reappoint him.
A biopic is kind of a safe bet for the audience, but for an actor of Ajay Devgn’s stature, a film like Maidaan is way easier to mount barring keeping the facts and figures in place, even though to get the era right on celluloid is a task and Amit does a great job at it.
Maidaan is problematic in its execution and it has a stark resemblance to Shimit Amin’s film. Funnily, Indian filmmakers generally narrate a story of an underdog in the backdrop of sports events in a similar way keeping all the historical facts intact, be it MS Dhoni: An Untold Story. Mary Kom, Saina, '83 etc. From the storytelling to the placement of the events in the film, everything is similar to that of any run-of-the-mill sports film.
Maidaan’s first half is extremely tiresome, laced with boredom, but the second half is good and has emotions and patriotism as it witnesses India’s heroic win that might leave you teary-eyed. The matches are shot well and have a real approach. To get 4-5 real players for a beautiful conclusion in the end credits is soothing.
Ajay is a great performer and doesn’t need any validation, and Maidaan is just another testament to it. He as Syed Abdul Rahim is impactful. Priyamani plays his wife, who is a driving force in his life and career and is watchable. Gajraj Rao plays the part of an arrogant sports journalist well enough. Rest of the actors play their parts aptly.
Maidaan might be a decent Eid feast but still had scope to be a lot better than what it is, especially the first half.
