- Maidaan is a heartfelt tribute to the Indian National Football Team
- The movie plays at a theatre near you from the 10th of April, 2024, post 6pm IST
Name: Maidaan
Cast: Ajay Devgn,priyamani,Gajraj Rao
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Maidaan, directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, and starring Ajay Devgn, Priyamani and Gajraj Rao among others, is the underdog story of the Indian Football Team that wins a Gold Medal at the Jakarta Asian Games in 1962.
Plot:
Syed Abdul Rahim (Ajay Devgn) is the coach of the Indian Football Team that faces a thrashing defeat to Yugoslavia in the Helsinki Olympics of 1952. Being a coach, he gives a few valid reasons as to why the team lost, and demands full control over football in India. He scouts for talents across India and builds a team that goes on to come fourth in the 1956 Australian Olympics. His team also gives the biggest footballing nations a run for their money in the 1960 Rome Olympics. However, since they fail to reach the qualifiers, the federation that looks after Indian football, fires Rahim. The story that follows, shows how he eventually returns to become the coach that leads his team to a glorious victory at the Jakarta Asian Games in 1962, against all odds.
What works for Maidaan:
Maidaan is a passionately woven sports-biopic on the coach that led India to an underdog-victory at the 1962 Asian Games. The movie is tidily made and shows all that Syed Abdul Rahim had to go through, in his short yet meaningful life. Ajay Devgn delivers one of his most emotionally rousing performances, that is sure to win him numerous accolades. The eye to detail that director Amit Ravindernath Sharma has is worth appreciating. Casting of the players, to cinematography, complex camera-shots in the match sequences and the adrenaline-filled background score, the movie nails it all. From the first scene to the last, the beautiful amalgamation of scale backed by vision is clearly visible. It is the last 20 minutes of Maidaan where your patience truly gets rewarded and you leave the auditorium with an emotional high, that very few films can give you.
What doesn't work for Maidaan:
Maidaan is way too long and could definitely do with chopping of atleast 25 minutes. The template that the movie follows is overused and thus there isn't much novelty in terms of the storytelling and the screenplay. The narration is mostly flat. All the antagonist episodes through the film are very clichéd and feel forced, and it goes against the film's otherwise subtle treatment. Barring what's stated above, the movie plays out well and manages to both engage and entertain.
Watch the Maidaan Trailer
Performances in Maidaan:
Ajay Devgn breathes life into the character of Syed Abdul Rahim. He is just terrific, especially in the dramatic sequences.
Priyamani as Rahim's wife Runa lends solid support. She is full of heart.
Gajraj Rao as the controversial sports journalist Prabhu Ghosh, and Rudranil Ghosh who essays the role of the President of the Indian Football Federation, honestly play their parts but are let down by some clichéd writing.
Rishab Joshi as Rahim's son Hakim is wonderful.
Every Indian football player makes his presence felt, be it Chaitanya Sharma as PK Banerjee, Tejas Ravishankar as Peter Thangaraj, Amartya Ray as Chuni Goswami or Manandeep Singh as Trilok Singh Basera, among others.
Final Verdict of Maidaan:
Maidaan is a work of passion, that can only be envisioned by someone who is really passionate to tell the underdog story of the Indian National Football Team. It succeeds in making the audience relive the Golden Age of Indian Football. There are a few hiccups through the film but you take home a very fulfilling feeling as the credits roll.
Maidaan can be watched in theatres, 6pm onwards on the 10th of April, 2024. Go book your tickets now.
