Maidaan - Movie

 2024. Hindi. Ajay Devgn.

It's a biopic on the life of legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, considered the best football coach India ever produced. Under his tutelage the Indian team rose from being nobody's to becoming champions winning the Asian Games in 1962 against South Korea. A Hyderabadi, a school teacher, a gentleman, Rahim saab was called maulvi saab.

The film drags on for 3 hours needlessly. It also shows the cancer part a little too excessively - ok we know he is not well but don't drive it in. In fact its the most I think I have seen a character cough in a film, certainly there is one scene where he coughs and coughs and some more. And they are all smoking all the time - why is it necessary that they smoke all the time? The Hyderabadi accent is forced - by adding a miyaan at the end of every other sentence it just does not work. Anjali noticed something interesting - Ajay Devgn is ending every scene by walking off, or exiting.

Priya Mani hardly looks a Hyderabadi wife, not looks, not talks. Her English learning skills are amusing but that's about it. In the film the character comes across as arrogant to begin with and slowly becomes very docile. It does not appear o be the real Rahim saab who was supposedly soft yet a strict disciplinarian. Also, the two commentators lead us through most of the film and have roles that are next to Ajay Devgn.

In its favour the football is shown well and that saved things a bit. Also, the fact that sports is thriving in our country despite administrators is once again brought out in this movie. Where are the right leaders?

But 3 hours? Could have nipped an hour off.