20 August,2019 07:07 AM IST | Mumbai | Sonil Dedhia
Ajay Devgn
Days after his last release Badhaai Ho won the National Award for Best Popular Film, director Amit Sharma has started shooting for Maidaan. The sports drama has Ajay Devgn bringing the life of football coach Syed Abdul Rahim - who coached Team India to victory at the Asian Games in 1951 and 1962 - to the big screen. The director says he chose Devgn as he saw similarities in the trajectory of his subject and his leading man. "We are telling a story of an honest man who was an underdog and took football to the next level. That is the kind of journey that Ajay sir has gone through. Also, he is one actor who can show a variety of emotions purely with his eyes. This role demanded that."
Rahim
Spanning six decades from 1900 to 1960, the film will trace how the game flourished under the expert guidance of Rahim. Sharma adds that he has done extensive research on the subject. "We met some players, including Tulsidas Balaram and Fortunato Franco from the team who coached under him. We gathered enough material from them."
ALSO READ
‘Munna Bhai series needs to end’: Arshad Warsi
Kareena gives Poo-style reaction to Ibrahim Ali Khan’s pics with Charles Leclerc
Sidharth Malhotra shares an important element of his diet routine
Housefull 5: Abhishek Bachchan to return to comedy franchise
Comedian Kettan Singh apologises to Karan Johar for mimicry
Amit Sharma
Also Read: Ajay Devgn and Ranbir Kapoor's film to be delayed by a year?
Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates