Maidaan Movie Review: I was in school when Shah Rukh Khan’s Chak De! India had arrived in theatres. I vividly remember joining fellow movie lovers chanting ‘India, India’, celebrating each win as though it was a live match and even sobbing at the end of the film. Almost 17 years since the film was released, it continues to be a benchmark for sports films in Bollywood. As I walked into the theatre to watch Maidaan, I admit I was prepared to draw comparisons with Chak De! India. The Ajay Devgn film took a different path from the SRK starrer but one thing is common: both the films give you a great cinematic experience.
Directed by Amit Sharma, Maidaan stars Ajay Devgn in the lead. The film is based on the life of football coach Syed Abdul Rahim and the events that lead up to India’s win at the 1962 Asia Games. Besides Ajay, the film also stars Gajraj Rao as a journalist and Priya Mani as Ajay’s wife. The team also features several fresh faces, including Chaitnya Sharma aka SlowCheeta, Madhur Mittal of the Slumdog Millionaire fame and more.
The film encompasses the dreams, struggles and the achievements of coach Syed Abdul Rahim, better known as SA Rahim. The coach not only struggles to form an iron-clad team but also finds himself fighting the corrupted football federation, a vindictiv journalist and even protesters. All this to put India on the world map with the help of football.
If I have to describe Maidaan in one word, I would call the film exhilarating but in parts. Let’s first address the elephant in the room: the three-hour-long runtime. Is it worth sitting through it all? I would say yes. Director Amit Sharma has not compromised with the runtime to ensure he delivers a meaty film. A film like Maidaan, where there are several incidents being covered — the personal struggle of coach Rahim, the team’s issues, the political climate that impacts the sport and the matches, the intense matches — require time. Amit takes full liberty of time to make you invest in every twist and turn.
This helps the events leading up to the climax land brilliantly. Maidaan learns a lot from the mistakes of past sports dramas in Bollywood. Take ’83 as an example. The film lacked the depth, despite the characters landing so well. Amit rectifies it, taking a holistic approach.
Although the film is placed like a well-played field, Maidaan has a few flaws. A big issue is the film spends extra time on dramatic scenes. There are a handful of scenes that could have been crisper, making the film tighter. Another issue I had with the film is that it was predictable. A few are also going to complain that Maidaan has a number of low moments before it sees the highs. The way I see it, Maidaan has been approached like a match of football. No two matches are the same and not all matches will have high moments in every twist and turn. Despite the writing issues, Maidaan holds your attention throughout the film.
The biggest striker of this football match is Ajay Devgn. While we had an expressive coach in the form of Shah Rukh Khan in Chak De! India, Ajay’s Rahim is completely opposite, reminding us that his eyes do most of the talking.
While Ajay keeps you invested in him and his character, Gajraj Rao gets you riled up with his performance as a vindictive journalist. It is probably the first time in his career, since Black Friday, that Gajraj Rao is going to make people angry with his character on screen. He truly deserves the applause.
The actors playing the parts of the football team are phenomenal as well. Priya Mani is just magic on the big screen. She can have chemistry with any actor and can hold the camera’s attention regardless of the superstar she is paired with and Maidaan is just another example of it.
On the cinematography front, cinematographers Tushar Kanti Ray and Fyodor Lyass (sports), along with the help of CGI and VFX, bring the sport to life. However, there are multiple shots, especially in the second half, that bring back memories of Chak De! India. Meanwhile, it is no secret that AR Rahman is a legend, especially when it comes to patriotic films. While the BGM score was impressive, the songs did not land like I was hoping it would. Maidaan is also a welcomed departure from the loud, patriotic movies while keeping the spirit of nationalism intact with well written dialogues. Kudos to Ritesh Shah and Siddhant Mago.
Bottomline: Maidaan deserves to be watched. The film brings back emotions that we once felt while watching Chak De! India. I assure you, you won’t leave the theatre without at least hooting once.
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