One-Line Review: Ajay Devgn delivers a stellar performance as Syed Abdul Rahim in this well-crafted biopic.
Maidaan Youtube Trailer
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Priyamani, Gajraj Rao, etc.
Release Date: April 10, 2024
Director: Amit Sharma
Introduction
Maidaan is a biopic based on Syed Abdul Rahim, a football coach who revolutionized Indian Football during the ’50s.
Amit Sharma scores a winner with Bollywood’s best sports drama in years, Ajay Devgn shines yet again.
~ DNA
Our rating for Maidaan is 10/10.
Summary
Indian football is seen struggling to score a goal during the 1952 Olympics against Yugoslavia, where the players are seen in bad shape. The shoeless Indian team is defeated shamefully in the match with a score of 10-1. This match being a big black mark, the Indian Football Association starts to plot strategies for a better future in football for team India.
Syed Abdul Rahim, the coach of the football team, takes up the challenge to handpick the players personally and thereby shoulder the responsibility of the entire team by promising their uplift in international tournaments. Facing numerous challenges, Syed manages to build a strong team with a diverse set of players.
Syed tackles the thorns in his way, the politics and biased personal hatred towards him from certain individuals of the board as well as a renowned sports journalist Prabhu Ghosh. An unfortunate match where India faces defeat due to a self-goal urges the people who are jealous of Syed’s success to remove him from the board. Adding to these turmoils, Syed gets diagnosed with Lung Cancer.
With less time to live and dreams left incomplete, Syed loses hope and stays curled in his house, expecting death to knock at his door. Saira Rahim, Syed’s wife, urges him to go work for his dreams so that he can embrace death peacefully. Syed sets his journey again to get the Indian Team going and get recognized in an international level.
Review
After ‘Chak De! India’, Maidaan brought in that feeling of watching a well-made sports drama with all its essence. What an actor Ajay Devgn is! To watch him pull off Massy, commercial roles is all good. But when it comes to well-written, performance-oriented roles, it is a delight to watch this man perform onscreen. Ajay Devgn’s performance in Maidaan as Syed Abdul Rahim will remain one of his best performances ever!
Amit Sharma got all the right boxes checked in this movie. Maidaan is a perfect example where, even if the runtime is longer, the audience will never get bored if the movie is made well! Being a biopic, and set during the ’50s, a little bit of boredom was expected. But AR Rahman, being the master in uplifting the scenes gave no space for boredom. With the best scores at the right places invoking the perfect emotions, AR Rahman and Amit Sharma danced in unison making a perfect sports drama.
Gajraj Rao’s performance was commendable as Roy Chaudhary. Whenever Gajraj appears onscreen, you’ll feel an unfiltered hatred towards him – which solidifies the fact that his performance was impeccable! So was Priyamani and the entire football team, the casting was done right for Maidaan.
The best thing about Maidaan was, that despite its run-time, you can’t find anything unnecessary in the screenplay. A perfectly balanced narration that goes back and forth from Syed’s life to the Indian Football Team’s chronicles made it an interesting and gripping watch. Another beautiful thing about Maidaan is how the team succeeded in visually bringing in all the beauty of Calcutta and other places with all the glory. From showing the essence of a Bengali household to the busy streets of Calcutta, the art department has done amazing work! With emotions triggered at the right places, Amit’s making resulted in an impactful output. AR Rahman’s Score, again, took the whole movie to an international level, invoking goosebumps, patriotism, and tears at the right places. The ending tribute to the Indian Football Team and their leader, Syed Rahim who shaped some revolutionary episodes in the history of the Indian Football market a befitting end for the movie.
Conclusion
Maidaan is a well-made sports-drama/biopic, a must-watch in theatres, where Ajay Devgn shines with one of his best performances to date.
