Film:
Maidaan Review
Bubble Rating:
Director: Amit Ravindernath Sharma
Star cast: Ajay Devgn, Priyamani, Gajraj Rao,
Runtime: 181 mins (3 hours 1 min)
Platform: In theatres
Maidaan Movie Review
Maidaan starring Ajay Devgn, Priyamani, and Gajraj Rao is a movie about the Indian Football team and its golden era when Coach Syed Abdul Rahim led the team. The movie highlights the chronicles of Rahim’s life from his debacle to his rise while showing how India flourished in the Football game. Maidaan narrates an underdog story of the Indian Football team and its glory in the 1962 Jakarta Games when India beat South Korea in the final.
Story
Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim passionately coaches India’s football team, aiming to get a Gold medal at the Asian Games. Set in 1952, Rahim against all odds brings a team by finding the best players from each corner. Over 10 years in the pursuit of making a name for the nation, Rahim strives hard for his team. Despite people’s criticism and politics, Rahim stands tall and creates history. Maidaan is a true story of India’s greatest football coach, Syed Abdul Rahim, highlighting the Golden Era of Indian Football. It is a story of true grit and unfathomable passion.
Maidaan poster
Image source: Ajay Devgn Instagram
What’s good about Maidaan?
Screenplay: Writers Akash Chawla, Sidhant Mago and Saiwyn Quadras have written the story of Maidaan. You can easily understand that Maidaan will draw comparisons with Chak De! India, Gold, Jund or any sports drama. However, it’s futile as every sports drama has its own charm. It is a biographical movie and ticks all the boxes for becoming a sports drama. The screenplay is crisp without being too dramatic or emotional. Maidaan is a 3-hour long movie but you won’t even understand when the time is gone, all thanks to its gripping storyline. Given that it is a movie on sports, not everything about Maidaan is fast-paced. The emotional scenes are also well-executed, matching the screenplay.
Cinematography: Since it is based on real-life events, Amit included real footage from the 1950s and 1960s Olympic and Asian Games. The DOP even added sepia and camera reel filters to make it look more aesthetic and real. The opening scene of the movie is so well shot and the entry of Ajay Devgn smoking in the field amidst the tense match looks cinematic.
Costumes: As the movie is set in the 1950s -1960s, Amit pays attention to little details in terms of their costumes and even their lifestyle. These small details look aesthetic and authentic.
Direction/ Editing
The film cuts to the chase instead of adding unnecessary scenes. No additional songs, no additional subplots and no over-emotional scenes. Amit balances all the aspects and comes straight to the point while narrating the story. It is an underdog story and Amit brilliantly shows us the golden era of the Indian Football team. He was true to the story which was very visible on the celluloid. Moreover, the football matches were exceptionally directed and executed. They pump up your anticipation and excitement to another level. You can see yourself clapping and whistling in every match. It was heart-thumping.
But the other thing that adds to the rush is the perfect editing. The football matches are nicely edited, giving the audience the best movie-watching experience on the big screen. It keeps you at the edge of the seat which is a commendable job. The perfect timing of slow motions makes any particular scene valuable but the first-person perspective looks refreshing. This is usually seen in action movies; however, Amit opts for POV in a sports drama which adds freshness.
Casting
Amit Sharma pulls off a perfect casting in Maidaan. You can see many fresh faces but they were just fantastic with their roles. The players in the movie look convincing and real athletes as they move like true athletes. They genuinely don’t look like actors and this is a plus point for Maidaan. During the end credits, they show the reel and real-life characters and most of them look alike. Hence, the casting of Maidaan was quite apt.
Background score and songs: The banging background score makes the scene 10 times better and powerful. During the matches and in some intense scenes, the background music can send shockwaves. Additionally, songs like Mirza, Team India Hai Hum, Jaane Do and others only enhance the movie and will make you inspirational.
What’s not
VFX: It is beautiful to see Amit creating a world of the 1950s by using VFX in abundance. A few scenes in the movie look aesthetically beautiful; however, the special effects look patchy and not smooth. You can easily identify how and where the VFX has been used in some scenes.
Technical aspects: Subtitles were required when the dialogues were in Bengali. Even though they were less said in the movie, it still would have added extra value to the movie. It would have connected with the audience more. Other scenes like how Rahim can be seen smoking inside the hospital or on the football field. How did Jarnail Singh get hurt during the match with South Korea? Many technical aspects don’t make much sense in the movie.
Ajay Devgn’s look: Ajay Devgn plays Indian Football coach Syed Abdul Rahim and his look doesn’t match with the real-life character. Given that Amit tried to match each and everyone’s look at least resemblance the real-life characters, it seems missing for Ajay Devgn’s look. His performance as a coach is phenomenal but not sure if we can say the same for his get-up as the coach.
Star performances
Ajay Devgn as Indian Football coach Syed Abdul Rahim is spectacular. He has a nuanced character and feels so refreshing to see him in non-Singham mode. Rahim is the one who lives and breathes for football and Ajay adds more gravitas to the character with his calmness. He beautifully portrays the cool and composed side but gets ferocious for all the right reasons. When one of his players is hurt, he tells his team “Iska hisab chahiye mujh ko.” You know that there’s a fierce side of him too. He is the man of the match in his movie.
Priyamani plays Rahim’s wife Saira who is sweet and innocent but no damsel in distress. She will speak her mind even if the greatest coach is wrong. Priyamani strongly plays her part with utmost conviction. Gajraj Rao who plays the antagonist in the movie delivers a fair job. He contributes well to his character to become the perfect villain.
Conclusion
Overall, Ajay Devgn hits a perfect goal in this emotional and engaging biographical sports drama Maidaan. The untold story and the football matches will surely entice you and keep you on the edge of your seat. Maidaan is definitely a must-watch movie that needs to be enjoyed on the big screens. The heart-pounding football matches will just pump you up.
Watch the trailer of Maidaan after the review
