Hindi films and sports have a love hate relationship with each other. Some of the BEST films ever have been sports film - Lagaan, Chakh De, Dangal but there also have been hands down some of the worst as well- Mary Kom, Sania, Dhoni, Azhar, Dan-Dana Dan Goal etc. In a good sports film not only one needs good drama but also the 'sport' itself should be presented in a competent manner. It's generally the 'latter' where several Hindi films have suffered. In most Hindi films, sport sequences have generally looked shoddy and unrealistic, sprinkled with too many reaction shots. But Maidaan excels at each and every department. Great story - check, brilliant portrayal of football - check, award winning performances - check, insane cinematography - check, super editing/background score/sound design/audio mixing - check, check and check!
To put it simply, Maidaan is simply sensational! This film tells the incredible story of coach Raheem under whose tutelage Indian Football had its most glorious years. The story is absolutely brilliant and keeps you emotionally invested till the end. What makes it even more extraordinary is that all of it is REAL! Despite being an AVID football fan, even I was unaware about the glorious past of Indian Football. National jingoism is kept at a minimum, and the film through its sheer artistry, organically brings out the nationalistic feelings in the viewer. The whole theatre was clapping by the time the end credits rolled. It's an extraordinary-extraordinary story brought to life by some extraordinary artists.
The real highlight are the football matches themselves - they are gripping as hell. Despite knowing the ultimate result, the whole theatre was cheering and clapping as goals were scored and saves were made. Also a big shout out to the final song, "Jaane Do", where everything comes to a halt and you just have slow-motion shots of Indian players putting their body on the line for the country. The movie at the end also presents you with the actual football players who played for the nation at the time- battered and bruised by system and time, once at the pinnacle of their physical prowess are now on a wheelchair. These images really touch you as one realises the mortality of human beings, the fact that once a great athlete who wrote poetry via his feet has now, due to old age been resigned to a wheelchair. It's very humbling indeed!
This film is hands down Ajay-Devgun's BEST performance till date. He has portrayed the character of coach Raheem with utmost sincerity and deftness. Mr. Raheem is a man of few dialogues and Ajay Devgun does all the heavy lifting through his sheer eyes. If 'this' doesn't win him an award, then nothing else will. Simply sensational! Others too have pitched in with sincere performances. A special nod to Priyamani (Raheem's wife) who has played her role with a quiet intensity. Her look when she sees her husband struggling, the agony in her eyes and the sheer helplessness in this situation - all has been captured brilliantly by Priyamani. The rest of the football team has performed well and hats off to them for bringing out the intense physicality of the sport.
This film is a technical juggernaut. Maidaan can easily compete and surpass any top Holly-Wood film in terms of sheer technical artistry. The cinematography is one of the best I've seen in a Hindi film. Each and every frame not only looks beautiful but also add to the emotions of the scene. It's just not a pretty picture but also an intensely emotional one. Also hats off to the person who has done the sound design and mixing. The sound of this film is immersive. One actually feels that they are in the middle of the pitch, The sliding tackles have a 'crunch' to them as the editor cuts to a close up. Moreover the sound design and mixing also excels in the quieter moments. A dog faintly barks in the background as the whistling of the passing train faintly pans from left to right. Despite the runtime of 3 hours, the editing is very well done. The film holds on to emotionally charged scenes but lets go when energy is required. Each and every cut has a purpose behind it. A special mention to the use of typography in the film. The way various text elements appear on the screen throughout the film, the font used and their general placement is all top-notch. Rahman's background score breathes life into all the sequences. There are silences when required, moreover the trigger point of the music is well done. Unlike other Hindi films, the score is not balls to the walls, and that's quite refreshing to see. The song 'Ghar Aaya Mera Mirza' is a particular highlight. I was absolutely teary eyed the moment in which this song came up. Another mention is the way football sequences have been shot. It's at an absolutely international level! I really don't think any other film (Indian or abroad) has portrayed the beautiful game as beautifully as this film. The colour grading too is one of the best I've seen. All the frames look absolutely film like in its texture and quality.
The only downfall of the film is perhaps the character of Gajraj Rao (a journalist who has a vendetta against coach Rahim). There is too much unnecessary focus on him. His character is very one dimensional and adds little to nothing to the story. The amount of screen time which has been given to him should have been diverted to the members of the Indian football team. The film does an amicable job of acquainting the viewers to coach Raheem, but kind of fails at connecting the audience to the members of the football team. What is the team chemistry like? What drives the players apart from national pride? All these question could have been answered if the screen time given to Gajraj Rao was diverted to this aspect. As a result, we connect with the coach but perhaps not with the players. Moreover, some more time could and should have been diverted to the tactics employed by coach Raheem and there could have been at least two more football matches.
All in all, Maidaan is an absolute aesthetic tour de force. A technical marvel which tells an intensely real and extraordinary story of coach Rahim. Are you one of those who has been complaining about lack of good, meaningful, cinematic hindi films? Are you sick of moronic films like Animal, Pathaan, Salaar, KGF? Then Maidaan is an antidote to such movies. To simply put, this film is absolutely sensational. A film of the highest quality whose technical ability surpasses even the best of what Holly-Wood has to offer. If this was a foreign film with Brad Pitt in the lead, the whole world would have gone ga ga over it. For all those Marvel lovers, who don't mind watching a teenager wearing a colourful mask and shooting webs through his hands should easily be able to appreciate this film as well. This film tells an incredible Indian story in a very Indian way. No one can call it a Hollywood film made with foreign sensibilities in Hindi language. It feels Indian through and through.
Films like Maidaan are rare, and it's really upto us to make this film work. Drop everything and watch this film in the biggest theatre you can, coz if you don't, then all we'll get is Salaar, KGF and Animal in the future.
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