Maidaan
Introduction
Cricket is a religion in India but Football is just, well Football! The plight of football in this country has never really taken off, so much so that despite India being a country of more than 1 Billion, it still ranks 121 at the time of typing this issue. Even the players have pleaded for fans to come and cheer for them, and while this phase was momentary, there wasn’t a breakthrough performance which would warrant the loyalty of fans. The Indian Football Federation is an absolute joke, a body where corruption thrives while paying little to no attention at creating an infrastructure or even an environment where players can thrive. In short, it is the darkest hour of Indian Football. But it wasn’t always the case post Independence.
The Indian Football Team of the 1950s was a force to reckon with, often not able to reach its potential due to the lack of basic facilities like shoes for players. Yet from a skill point of view, India was right on the map, often competing with Footballs giants and giving them a run for their money. In fact, India did win gold at the Asian Games of 1962, the one and only coveted trophy in Men’s Football. And I am glad that a film titled Maidaan was made on it. In my review of Aadujeevitham, I had acknowledged how it took 16 years of perseverance, Maidaan did follow a similar journey of 5 long years. The movie was delayed multiple times when being dented by the pandemic, and I am just happy that Maidaan has finally seen the light of the day. So then does Maidaan manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Based on true events, Maidaan follows the story of esteemed coach Syed Abdul Rahim who is tasked to assemble members of the national team following a humiliating loss. The story here is inspirational but also bittersweet given the hard work that he put in while being starkly in contrast to the times that Indian Football finds itself in. Yes I must also add that being a sports biopic drama, it does follow regular beats of the screenplay that you may have seen before – a typical underdog story of a bunch of unknowns toppling some of the giants of football worldwide. Sounds like a familiar story right? Yet, its screenplay of a shade above 3 hours is what makes for a compelling watch including the rousing final hour that is worth a thousand goosebumps.
The drama does open with an ongoing football match between India and Yugoslavia wherein the latter dominates the proceedings, thus resulting in a humiliating defeat by Team India. This follows an introspection wherein the members of the Federation task esteemed coach SA Rahim to handpick players from across the country thereby kicking off his journey through the bylanes of the country. The writing also exposes the inherent politics that is prevalent amongst the members of the Federation, one of whom is shown to have contacts with a powerful sports journalist. This, while on the sport side, there is a considerable amount of buildup where the protagonist doesn’t always meet with success but is efficient in identifying and forming a team while often being in disagreement with a few members of the Federation.
The proceedings are engaging and compelling wherein the yesteryear’s era is nicely showcased through some good filters that creates a good image in terms of production design. The focus is mostly on the protagonist with other characters around him either plotting against him or aiding him in some way or the other. This is evident through the personal life of the protagonist featuring his adorable wife and his son who aspires to play football for his country. The sport itself is a character which primarily excels when the players take the field. I did feel that the characters of the players could have been fleshed out a bit more like in Chak De India but I do get that this was mounted as the biopic on coach Syed Abdul Rahim who receives a gut-wrenching setback(s) at the halfway mark.
The drama was meandering decently in the first hour but the addition of new dimensions in the screenplay, adds a certain sense of urgency as you continue to witness the mercurial rise of a legendary team in the making. This brings me to the final hour which accounts for a rousing celebration of Indian Football. Pretty much on the lines of Chak De India, the Asian Games glory and the journey to the eventual cup was indeed special. With everyone against them from the Federation to the Government, from the crowd to the strong opponents, the writing highlights the triumph of this team in the most goosebumps worthy manner that does allow you to not only be emotionally invested but also to shed a tear or two along the way. Needless to say that the final hour elevates the drama to new heights thereby summing up the screenplay which was so well penned. And I loved the bittersweet tribute of some of the players from that legendary team, some of whom did pass away during the filming of this film. But it was the recreation of an iconic moment in a superbly well penned screenplay.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational with sharp edges that are intricately placed for a searing impact. The music by AR Rahman is outstanding and although the songs aren’t quite popular, the placement of them in the narrative is exceptional. The BGM is outstanding as well especially in portions involving the football match that will give you goosebumps especially at the end. The cinematography is really good while capturing frames ranging from being mildly shaky to shifting focus to the first person in portions of the sport which were so well captured. The VFX is pretty good as well. The editing is sharp and I liked how there were continuous sequences with minimal jump cuts to capture the sporting action. Director Amit Ravindranath Sharma is one of the most talented directors doing the rounds from the new crop. And his biggest USP often lies in a strong sense of world building coupled with solid characterization, both of which are on full display here. He also maintains a strong grip on the narrative while seldom loosening his grip that accounts for a supremely compelling watch. The direction is outstanding here.
Performances
The performances are exceptional by the talented ensemble cast. And it did help that the actors chosen did play football really well, something that reflected well onscreen. Jayanth V, Rishab Joshi, Davinder Gill, Madhur Mittal and Amartya Ray, all of them are excellent and leave a lasting impression. Prajwal Maski, Sushant Waydande, Arko Das, Vishnu Varrier and Raphael Jose are first rate as well. Tejas Ravishankar has a towering personality and an amazing screen presence here wherein he looks effortless in his character. Slow Cheeta as PK Banerjee is exceptional and he is quite sincere and earnest with his character. Priyamani as Saira is simply adorable and I loved the character traits of her character wanting to learn English while also imparting wisdom along the way.
Rudranil Ghosh as Shubhankar is amazing as the carefree federation member who loves playing politics to hold onto his seat. Gajraj Rao as the sports journalist is exceptional with the grey streaks in his character and I liked how he portrayed his subtle character arc at the end too, that painted a completely different story. Vijay Maurya as Ramesh and Abhilash Thapliyal as Dev are simply top notch as the broadcasters(or rather commentators). They have such incredible voice modulation that if I were to close my eyes and hear their voices, I would have actually believed that they were commentators in real life too. And each one of them brought the right sentiments of the game to the fore which forming a nice little synergy between them. Ajay Devgn as Syed Abdul Rahim is outstanding yet again. Here is an actor who is well aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and accordingly essays his character to perfection within his limitations. He was incredible to witness here particularly in the second hour that had something to do with his physicality and health of his character.
Conclusion
On the back of a rousing final hour, Maidaan is a fitting tribute to the golden era of Indian Football that makes for a brilliant watch. It is sad that the current state of affairs in Indian Football is at an all time low, and this film acts as an inspiration and hope that things will be better going forward. Also, Syed Abdul Rahim….Remember The Name! Available in a theatre near you and Highly Recommended!