Ajay Devgn’s Maidaan is a recently released sports drama based on the life of Syed Abdul Rahim, Football coach and manager for the Indian national team from 1950 -1963. The sports biopic is directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma and features Priyamani, Gajraj Rao alongside Ajay Devgn. Devgn portrayed Rahim and his performance has been widely praised. Right after its release, netizens have been throwing praises at the movie. Maidaan is praised for its story, characters as well as the performances.
Produced by Boney Kapoor and Zee Studios, Maidaan released partially on April 10 followed by a theatrical release on April 11, coinciding with Eid. Despite its great storyline and praises, the box office collection for the film has been a low. However, industry experts are expecting it to rise majorly during the weekend.
Under the guidance of Syed Abdul Rahim, the Indian football team earned a triumphant gold medal at the Asian Games. Maidaan is a story of persistence, resilience, strength and unwavering determination to succeed against all odds.
What were the issues highlighted by Rahim?
Maidaan starts with the 1952 Olympic football match held between Indian and Yugoslavia in Finland. The Indian team loses terribly to Yugoslavia which sparks widespread discussion in football communities all over. This media criticism was led by journalist Roy Chaudhary and followed by the federation directly blaming coach Syed Abdul Rahim. During the resulting meeting, Rahim also highlighted several critical issues which affected the team’s performance.
He noted the absence of proper football footwear for the players, which hampered their ability on the field. Additionally, he pointed out the disparity in match duration between domestic tournaments and Olympic matches. In domestic tournaments, the game lasts for 70 minutes but in the olympic match, it lasted for 90 minutes. This disparity lead to a lack of stamina in the latter stages. Rahim courageously addressed another concerning issue: the overrepresentation of players from West Bengal in the national team. He stressed the importance of scouting talent from across India to ensure a more diverse and competitive squad. He also pointed out that the federation does not change the players for a long period of time hence newer talents go unnoticed.
Shubankar Sengupta, a member of the federation blatantly asks Rahim to take the responsibility for the loss. In response, Rahim agrees to take the responsibility under the condition that he gets to choose the players for the team. Fortunately, the president agreed with Rahim and allowed him to scout players for the team. Soon after, Rahim visits his family home in Hyderabad where the audience is introduced to his family. After a brief meeting, he soon ventures out to find the best players for team India.
Maidaan: Where did Rahim find Tulsidas Balram?
In Secunderabad, Rahim comes across a boy playing football, hardly 18-19 years of age. He notices that the boy has immense talent and uses amazing techniques during the game. However, he also notices, although the boy is immensely talented he lacks stamina and got tired easily. Rahim approaches the young boy and inquires about his name, to which the boy responds, Tulsidas Balram. Rahim immediately asks if he would play for India to which Tulsidas agrees and Rahim finds his first player. Soon after, Rahim goes to different state teams to recruit players. This is where he finds PK Banerjee, another talented player from West Bengal. Rahim immediately recruits him as well.
In a span of four years, Rahim successfully builds a team with top players from all across India. The Indian team was all set to participate in 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia. Although, team India could not win, they were able to hold the fourth position earning respect and recognition. Another few years pass by and Indian team gets stronger with recruitment of newer players. In 1960s Olympics, India competes with France, one of the best football team of that time. Despite a brilliant performance, India draws against France and eventually loses. However, this time their ability and performance was noticed through and through.
Why did the federation fire Coach Rahim?
In the following federation meeting, tables turn on Coach Rahim. Shubhankar Sen along with journalist, Roy Chaudhary orchestrate a plan and instigates the other members against Rahim. They question Rahim as why the team is not winning any matches despite so many years of training. Rahim tries to reason with them but to no use and he is fired. Rahim soon gets diagnosed with Cancer, prompting him to prioritize spending whatever time remained with his family. After a few months, Saira, his wife, expressed their shared dream of witnessing India clinch a gold medal. Saira forced him to muster the courage for one last pursuit of his dream, she implored Rahim to return to coaching the Indian team.
Despite knowing the hostility awaiting him under Shubhankar Sen’s leadership, he listened to his wife and decided to chase his dreams again. Sen treated Rahim poorly, ignoring him like he didn’t matter. But Rahim didn’t give up. He asked the former federation chairman for help, and thankfully, after some convincing, he got his job back as the coach of the Indian football team.
Maidaan ending: Did the Indian football team make it to the Asian Games?
Maidaan then moves forward to the year 1962 and team India prepares for upcoming Olympic match to be held in Jakarta. However, it is soon revealed that Indian team is not participating that year as government withdrew the funds. Roy reveals to Rahim that it was his idea and he brainwashed the officials to withdraw funds as a way to insult Rahim. Disheartened, Rahim decides to meet Morarji Desai, the then finance minister and somehow manages to send the team for the game.
Just before the match, Peter Thangaraj, the tallest player and the goal keeper of the Indian team injures his foot and is not allowed to play. This becomes a disadvantage and India loses the first match against South Korea. After a lot of bumps, they make their way to the finals and again face South Korea. In a twist of events, team India beats South Korea and finally wins gold at the Asian Games. Maidaan ends with Indian flag being hoisted in foreign grounds while creating history.
