'Maidaan' movie review: Ajay Devgn powers this sports drama with a restrained and rousing performance

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Priyamani, Gajraj Rao

Director: Amit Sharma

Language: Hindi

Tried and triumphed are the two forces that drive sports dramas in cinema. Barring Nitesh Tiwari’s Chhhichhore, it’s always the underdog that walks away with the top honors and rightly (and predictably so). Those comparisons with Chak De! India and Jhund are expected but futile. Yes, it’s about Amit Sharma’s Maidaan, which sees Ajay Devgn as Syed Abdul Rahim, who’s said to have pioneered Indian football and etched its name in history. It’s a fascinating story of a game that’s almost vanished from the country’s consciousness. What’s also ironic is that no matter how hysterically euphoric the game of cricket may have turned into post 1983, a majority of the cricket dramas have bombed.

With _Maidaan_ , Sharma and writer Riteish Shah want to take us through the 50’s and show what the game meant for India. Devgn, as Rahim, has a certain sense of composure about him. He’s free from the constraints of emulating the man’s nuances since his mannerisms and personality are not known to many. His subdued delivery while smoking a cigarette gives us a glimpse of Devgn more than Rahim, but it works due to his arresting aura. The actor gives this role his all, relying on minimalism to unleash all his anguish and exhilaration. Even the scheming and smiling Gajraj Rao as the villain of the story is not differently sketched from the other antagonists in sports movies, but he’s exactly the kind of a man whose sullen and sulking face will draw loud cheers in cinemas. The only sports legend that made it sans a villain in his story here could possibly be Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His biopic had zero antagonists, and everyone who he met guided him in some form or the other. Rahim had no such luck. He even chose a game that faded gradually in oblivion as years in sports history passed by.

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The question here is how different can one write a sports film. How not to write an underdog character? And why not to show a locker room scene where the coach breaks into a monologue right before the finals? But Maidaan at times seems too enamoured by its own writing, it feels like it’s patting on its own back for creating a claptrap moment. At least two scenes, both featuring Devgn’s quips, end with a heightened background score that feels like a declaration it’s time for us to whistle. The other problem with the film is the team feels too infallible too early, with barely any time given to a player to establish his strengths and weaknesses. And AR Rahman brings some surprisingly middling tunes that don’t add enough depth to the narrative. However, despite some uneven editing, there’s some thrill to be had in the football matches.

Swag, Selflessness, and Stubbornness 

Based on a true story, _Maidaan_ , despite its flaws, mirrors the selflessness and stubbornness of its central character. Both refuse to give up despite being bogged down by the circumstances around them. Rahim lands up in a spontaneous and impromptu meeting with Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru for his boys, he even sends his son back home when he’s forced to drop two players from the team. And guess what? His fierce attitude even forces Gajraj Rao to come out of the shackles of his villainy. He also gets some wonderful moments with his wife, played by the magnetic Priyamani. Their chemistry begins with playfulness where she desires to speak English and he jokingly corrects her. Their marriage is shaken after a devastating news but the purple patch lasts only as long as a hushed conversation.

And then comes Devgn’s (Read Rahim) swag. He’s introduced not once but twice, and both the times, with a cigarette carefully placed in between his fingers. Some of his one-liners are instantly contagious. When the Indian football team suffers an embarrassing loss, he says- ‘Jab Ghar Ki Neev Kamzor Ho To Chath Badalne Ka Kya Fayda.’ The actor has made a career out of delivering delicious dialogues with all his nonchalance. And in the case of this film, Sharma and Shah opt for a restrained approach to tell a story filled with pathos and glory.

All of this unfolds at a runtime of 3 hours and 1 minute; only if the right intentions were rightly timed too. The movie does score the goal but how much of extra time one can witness after the match is over?

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)