Directed
by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, "Maidaan" is a Hindi biographical sports
drama film. The movie is set against the backdrop of the greatest decade of
Indian football, which extended from the early 1950s to the early 1960s. It
stars Ajay Devgn as the great coach of the Indian national football team,
Syed Abdul Rahim. He was the main component of the Indian football team. Under
his leadership, the Indian team achieved remarkable success, including winning
gold at the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games and reaching the semi-finals of the 1956
Melbourne Olympics. Rahim’s strategic discipline and innovative tactics helped
the team improve their performance. Under his leadership, India got the title ‘BRAZIL
OF ASIA’. Rahim faced several challenges in this process, such as
inadequate infrastructure and limited resources. The movie highlights India’s
impressive performance in the 1952 Olympic Games and the historic win of India
in the 1962 Asian Games, showcasing the Indian football team’s perseverance and
skill. Moreover, the movie takes a ride in the personal life of coach Rahim,
showing his sacrifice for football and balancing his personal and professional
life. Ultimately, "Maidaan" underscores Rahim's lasting legacy and
impact on Indian football, inspiring future generations with his methodologies
and philosophies.
The
movie Maidan, released on 10 April 2024, has gained widespread love and support
from all over India. Audiences enjoyed Ajay Devgn's role as Syed Abdul Rahim;
the portrayal of the unsung hero touched the hearts of many Indians. Devgn's
portrayal brings to life Rahim's unwavering dedication, strategic genius, and
profound impact on the Indian national football team. The historically
authentic production design and cinematography successfully take viewers back
to the heyday of Indian football, enhancing the visual appeal of the historical
narrative—special appreciation to Tassaduq Hussain, Christopher Reed, and
Fyodor Lyass, the sports directors of photography. Since football is a
movement-based sport, this is the first feature film to incorporate go-pro
cameras, heightening the suspense. The instances are compelling, making you
want to cheer on the players and even cry when they lose.
“Maidaan”
presents exceptionally talented actors like ‘Priyamani’ who played the role of
Rahim’s wife, and ‘Gajraj Rao’, the film's antagonist. Though not talked about, the music and
background music enhanced the film's emotional tone, contributing to the
movie's impact on the audience. The film began showing India’s defeat in the
Helsinki Olympics against Yugoslavia; India lost with a score of 10-1. Later in
the movie, the key events since 1952 are depicted clearly, such as India's
impressive performance in the 1956 Olympics and their victory in the 1962 Asian
Games. The screenplay's ability to balance the on-field drama with the personal
sacrifices and struggles of the characters adds depth to the narrative, making
it more relatable and impactful.
Although
the film is much appreciated, it has many shortcomings. The first criticism
that the movie faced was its uneven duration. Even though the narrative is rich
in historical details, some parts are unnecessarily dragged, making it feel
slow and less engaging. The development sub-characters and subplots were
missing, and the audience felt rushed, so they couldn’t connect to most of the
characters. The movie focused more on Syed Abdul Rahim's character, and the
side characters lacked depth and attention. The lack of depth made it difficult
for the audience to connect with the characters. Adding to the critics, there
was overly exaggerated melodrama. The
idea that state officials could have dominated how the game was played up until
the early 1960s is the kind of dramatic that, in theory, has no place in a
movie that is based on a true story. More focus was on the
melodrama of coach Rahim’s life, which derailed the movie’s main point of
showing more scenes on football and the life of players and thus made the movie
dull in some way.
The
movie’s song and background music also have received mixed reviews. One of the movie's songs, Team India
hain hum, is immediately outdated. The Indian football team was known as the
Indian football team back in the 1950s. Decades later, as a branding exercise,
"Team India" was born when the country's sporting bodies partnered
with corporations to promote different disciplines following economic liberalisation. A more powerful, moving soundtrack
may have increased the movie's emotional impact, giving viewers a more engaging
experience. With its overbearing goal of inciting the audience to a frenzy,
Maidaan's narrative struggles to strike a balance between fictional and real. Also,
"Maidaan" misses an opportunity to explore the socio-political
context of that time while concentrating a great deal of attention on Syed
Abdul Rahim's contributions and the team's accomplishments. Even though a brief
mention of the post-independence situation exists, it is still not shown as it
should have been. Even though there is more focus on Coach Rahim's life, the
movie still lacks significant events from his life. From a historical film,
realism is more expected than fiction. The film directors failed to show his
early life and the emergence of his love for the sport. As shown in the movie,
during the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Coach Rahim took responsibility for the
match. Still, Rahim was not in charge of the Indian team during the defeat. Balaidas
Chatterjee, who travelled with them as the team manager, had to coach the team
as Rahim was down with flu. Helsinki's defeat was not
only because of the lack of resources but also because this side of the defeat
was ignored. The internal strife within the group. The fact that Samir (Paltu)
Roy of East Bengal was cut from the squad under the false pretence of being ill
caused six East Bengal players who were essential to the national team's
success to become upset.
The
movie focused on the life of Rahim as an exemplary coach but missed his journey
to becoming the legendary coach. Though his extensive research on football
throughout Asia and the world was not visible, SA Rahim was much more than
this; many sheds of his would define him as a once-in-a-generation coach and
person. We learned very little about why and how he switched from the very old
2-3-5 formation to a much more fluid 4-2-4 formation.
