Apr 16, 2024 05:12 PM
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Maidaan, the biographical film co-written and directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma and produced by Akash Chawla, Arunava Roy Sengupta, Boney Kapoor and Zee Studios is inspired by the true story of the esteemed football coach of the Indian football team Mr. Syed Abdul Rahim(S.A. Rahim) who coached the team which went on to win a gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games.
The movie elaborately shows the growing trend of football in India during the 1950’s and 60’s, predominantly in Bengal, Hyderabad and Kerala and the growing popularity of new players who wanted to make a career in football including S.A. Rahim’s own son. It also shows the hardships faced by the coach due to difference in opinions with the other board members of the All India Football Federation due to the team not being able to achieve remarkable results initially in the international tournaments and his due own battle against lung cancer.
This film accurately describes the inspiring story of coach S.A Rahim showing his unwavering determination to his goal of coaching the Indian Football Team to win a Gold at the Asian Games despite his personal struggle and malignant cancer and emerging victorious in the end.
The lead character of Syed Abdul Rahim is played by Ajay Devgn, his supportive wife Saira Rahim is played by Priyamani and the antagonist, an influential reporter Roy Choudhary is played by Gajraj Rao. Roy becomes one of the difficult hurdles for Rahim to overcome as due to his influence on the federation, Rahim has to face several challenges and he is shown overcoming them all successfully. The players of the football team are played by new actors who look mostly alike to the original team players. This is a wonderful aspect as this connection establishes a relatability with the audience.
All the actors have played their role with conviction and are extremely convincing in their roles. They have delivered gripping performances portraying all kinds of emotions accurately and taking the audience on an emotional roller coaster. Ajay Devgn’s acting particularly is extremely commendable as he aptly shows the struggles of coach S.A Rahim, his aspirations of coaching the Indian football team and his journey of achieving his goal.
The dialogues of the film are written by Ritesh Shah who has done an excellent job. The dialogues are impactful and resonate with the audience at every instance of the movie. Speaking of the technical aspects of the film, the cinematography is top notch. It is the way certain shots and angles are used to shoot the film and may have certain hidden messages or may just be a visual treat for the eyes.
This movie has both. It has incorporated several new cinematography techniques for visual storytelling and captivating the audience with the dynamic scenes of the movie. The costumes accurately denote the era of the 20th century. It is highly appreciable that the director has a keen eye for attention to detail as the art direction and costumes re perfectly in line with the period of 1950s-60s and take the audience into nostalgia.
The plot of the film develops around the life of coach S.A. Rahim and the hardships he faces through his dream of coaching the Indian Football Team to win a gold in the international games and how finally his dream is realized when India wins its first gold medal in the Asian Games 1962. The story has various plot twists in the form of the numerous hurdles faced by the coach including the ones by a reputed and influential journalist Roy Choudhary, a greedy and cunning member of the football federation Subrato and his own battle against lung cancer.
The music in the film is highly energizing and motivating to all listeners. The background score keeps the audience hooked to the plot twists and progress of the story which doesn’t make it seem boring or lengthy at all but instead, generates more interest and enthusiasm.
The core message that the audience can take away from the film is to stay determined and work hard to achieve your goals despite any challenges you might face. Stay true to yourself and always believe in yourself because where there is a will, there is a way. This is a wonderful message inspired by the life of S.A Rahim that inspires the film’s audiences.
In conclusion, ‘Maidaan’ is a wonderful film, beautifully made and great in all aspects which also delivers a hearty and inspirational message. It is must watch for people of all ages and I would highly recommend it!
