Badhaai Ho director Amit Sharma on roping in Ajay Devgn for football film Maidaan
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
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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."
Amit Sharma
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