With a beeline of films already in his roster, Ajay Devgn is back to the silver screen with his upcoming sports biopic, Maidaan. The newly released teaser captures the decade-long glory period in Indian footballing history, with Devgn turning head coach. A mix of sports biopic and Bollywood drama, Maidaan is directed by Amit Sharma, who previously delivered successes like Badhaai Do, apart from the bevy of ads to his credit.
Boney Kapoor steps in as the film’s producer alongside Akash Chawla, Arunava Joy Sengupta and Zee Studios. Apart from Devgn essaying the role of Syed Abdul Rahim, the film will also see Priyamani, Gajraj Rao and Rudranil Ghosh as supporting leads. The teaser promises a theatrical release, slated for 23 June this year.
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Here’s all that the teaser of Ajay Devgn’s ‘Maidaan’ packs in
Video credit: YouTube/ZeeStudios
The teaser opens to India’s qualifying match against Yugoslavia in the 1952 Olympics. As the camera follows the ball across the rain-drenched ground, the commentary at the back reveals India’s unfortunate disposition: the lack of proper footwear. We are also informed about the nation’s nascent history–having qualified for the coveted games twice in just a span of five years. The rest of the 1:30 minute teaser resorts to a dialogue-less montage. We are shown scenes of the young players undergoing rounds of intense practice, game time sequences and glimpses of the glittering starcast. The teaser also hints towards capturing the rife political tensions ensuing in the country during those years—throwing at us dramatic visuals of protests, armed personnel and carnage. With the conclusionary statement, in Devgn’s voice, pointing to an impassioned finale speech, we cannot help but compare this sports biopic to that of Shah Rukh Khan’s Chak De! India, although the latter appears to have been way more light-hearted than this.
Ajay Devgn’s first sports film
Image credit: Zee Studios, Bayview Projects
While Maidaan represents Ajay Devgn’s first sports film, it would be exciting to see the extent of what the film encapsulates. Considering there exists historical context to the plot, we are hoping not a lot of dramatisation would be included. Maidaan hits theatres on 23 June 2023. Are you going to watch the biographical sports drama? Tell us what you thought of the teaser in the comments below.
Lead and social image credit: Zee Studios, Bayview Projects
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