MAIDAAN: Set in the late fifties and the early sixties, when the entire nation was steeped in Nehruvian idealism and nationalism, sixteen malnourished young boys from different parts of India, under the tutelage of the football coach Syed Abdul Rahim from Hyderabad, find a sense of purpose and belonging in representing the nation as the winning football team from India in the world map.
The movie has a commendable cinematography befitting a period movie and the tight screenplay and glorious and sincere performances of Devgn and the entire cast comprising of young PK Banerjee and Chuni Goswami give the movie a repeat value. The music by AR Rahman is apt and stays true to the gung-ho spirit of the movie. The movie is dialogue-heavy and has a huge Calcutta slant and even depicts the nightclub culture and babudom and the omnipresent “politricks” of Bengalis that has made Kolkata the trashcan as it is today. An uplifting movie with a predictable ending is seemingly based on a true story and is a gripping and exciting sports drama. As the end credits roll, you are left to ponder how Covid ended the lives of elderly people in India in 2020 and 2021. A fascinating movie, suitable for family audiences-I wonder why it had to rot in the cans for so long!
AninditaRoyMusings 