Maidaan Movie Review: The ball rolls on familiar grounds in this uneven sports-drama

Sports dramas have an advantage when it comes to storytelling. Anticipation and excitement are already part of the game in question. It opens doors for multiple layers of emotions that can be conveyed through the struggles which the characters face on and off the field. However, sports drama tropes have been utilised in many films over the years right from the trend-setting Chak De India (2007) to the lively coming-of-age MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) and the gloriously mellow 83 (2021), among others. Based on the real-life story of Syed Abdul Rahim (Ajay Devgn), who coached the Indian Football team from 1950 to 1963, Maidaan walks on the terrains frequented by the likes of Chak de India: A coach with a dream convinces board members to assemble a new team in order to take the sport to greater heights, faces some setbacks along the way, and finally rises to glory. The narrative beats feel all too similar and even some of the dialogues hint at a strong shadow of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer. For instance, when Rahim brings up national sentiment over state honours in response to the rudeness shown by another board member. The only difference? It is never that satisfying to witness it in Maidaan. The scenes never turn a moment into a spectacle. It is only in the final act that the film manages to rouse emotions by combining AR Rahman’s epic music and Devgn’s staggering presence, which are further enhanced by some inventive visuals. While these sequences leave you high-spirited, it is not enough to completely satisfy you.

Director: Amit Sharma

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Priyamani, Gajraj Rao, Rudranil Ghosh, Chaitanya Sharma, Madhur Mittal, Tejas Ravishankar, Amartya Ray

This sense of discontent is felt right in the beginning when the film delves directly into the story without giving us details about Rahim's past life and why he wants to coach the Indian football team. We fail to understand the underlying reasons behind Rahim's unconventional coaching style, his stiff demeanour, or his grating straightforwardness while he talks. Bereft of much backstory, we follow him on his ‘dream’, about which we are just told but never made to believe. While Amitabh Bachchan’s character in Nagraj Manjule’s Jhund (2022) didn’t have much background either, an argument could be made that the film was not just a celebration of the man but also of the lives he shaped. On the other hand, Amit Ravindernath Sharma lets Maidaan fall into the same old conventions of the genre, with no coherent voice at its core, other than that of nationalistic glory.

Hold no doubts, the story of Rahim is riveting and full of unshattered determination. However, it doesn’t find the right expression through this film. Some aspects of his life, like his chain-smoking, or the complex relationship which he shares with his son, are highlighted but never underlined. What is it that Rahim did which made the Indian team fare well at international tournaments? Where did his insights come from and what is his thought process like? Questions like these remain unresolved. Further, the team players, which he finds from every nook and corner of the country, just end up becoming faces without any individual quality. An early scene with one of the players in the narrow market lanes of Secunderabad starts with a promise, blending some raw street visuals with a lively background score. However, it ends rather awkwardly at a tea stall later and an opportunity to carve out a defining moment is lost. Through all of this, it begins to feel that there is an obsessive focus on Devgn’s character while the players are not given as much attention. After all, it was their story as much as it was Rahim’s.

Devgn seldom bats an eye as he maintains a serious face throughout the film. One can say that it is a sincere performance but does it make the film better? Not often. It seems that Sharma’s gaze is filled with an unnatural admiration for the actor, which ultimately confines Ajay Devgn's performance. Priyamani packs a punch through her portrayal of Rahim’s wife who is learning to speak English. While her character is something we have seen in innumerable Hindi films, she still does a splendid job. Gajraj Rao, who has outperformed in films like Talvar (2015) or Black Friday (2004), becomes a caricature in Maidaan. After a point, his presence feels repetitive as the scenes lack nuance and merely present him as an embodiment of evil.

If not for the breathtaking final act, Maidaan would be a middling affair. It manages to hold its ground in the last minutes during the final match of India versus South Korea at the Asian Games, in 1962. Whether it is the ticking of a clock that merges with the background score to punctuate the urgency or the rapid beats of drums that intersect with the sound of rain and lightning to reflect the tremors felt by Rahim at a crucial juncture, Rahman elevates the film with striking innovations. The film has the nostalgic presence of some Indian instruments, as well as the epic scale of Western classical music in times of victory.

Eventually, Maidaan doesn’t use the inherent excitement of sports to elevate its storytelling. Rather, it depends too much on its sentimental values. So, when the whistle blows and the match begins, it is the storytelling that meets with a deadly tackle. No hands are raised; no efforts are taken for its recuperation. Yellow card to you, the audience, for not keeping your expectations in check.