Maidaan REVIEW: Ajay Devgn is the man of the match in this inspirational and engaging biographical sports drama

Film:
Maidaan Review

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.

What’s good about Maidaan?

Screenplay: The story of the sports drama movie Maidaan has been written by Akash Chawla, Sidhant Mago, and Saiwyn Quadras. While Maidaan may draw comparisons to other sports dramas such as Chak De! India, Gold, or Jund, it stands on its own with its unique charm. The movie is a biographical tale that meets all the requirements for a great sports drama. The screenplay is well-written and avoids being too dramatic or emotional. Despite being a 3-hour long movie, Maidaan has a gripping storyline that keeps the audience engaged. Not everything in the movie is fast-paced, as the emotional scenes are also well-executed, matching the screenplay.

Moreover, Maidaan kind of story needs attention. Such a historic moment for India and very less people are aware of it. The story also highlights the time when Army officers had to enter the stadium during the riots. Such an event occurred and hats off to the writers for showing these details in the story.

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 has done an excellent job in casting for the movie Maidaan. The film features many fresh faces who have delivered fantastic performances in their respective roles. The players in the movie look like real athletes and their movements are quite convincing. They don’t appear to be actors, which is a positive aspect of the movie. The end credits of the movie showcase the real-life characters alongside the actors who played their roles, and most of them look similar. Therefore, the casting for Maidaan was quite appropriate.

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: Amit has created a world of the 1950s using VFX in abundance, and it’s quite beautiful to see. While some scenes in the movie look aesthetically pleasing, the special effects are patchy and appear to be not very smooth. It’s easy to identify where and how the VFX has been used in some scenes.

Technical aspects: Subtitles were required during the Bengali dialogues in the movie. Even though they were spoken less frequently, they would have added extra value and helped connect with the audience more. Additionally, certain scenes like Rahim smoking inside the hospital or on the football field, or how Jarnail Singh got injured during the match with South Korea, were unclear. There were several technical aspects of the movie that didn’t make much sense.

Ajay Devgn’s look: Ajay Devgn portrays Syed Abdul Rahim, an Indian football coach, in a recent film. However, it is noted that his appearance does not match the real-life character. Although the film’s director, Amit, made an effort to ensure that each character’s appearance at least somewhat resembled their real-life counterpart, Ajay’s look seems to have missed the mark. Despite this, Ajay’s performance as the coach is exceptional and praiseworthy. However, it is uncertain whether his appearance as the coach was equally impressive.

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

Concluding the review, 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

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