Amit Sharma Opens Up About 'Maidaan's Comparisons With Shah Rukh Khan's 'Chak De! India'

Superstar Ajay Devgn is gearing up to play the role of a football coach in the upcoming movie ‘Maidaan.’ The narrative of the film revolves around Syed Abdul Rahim’s determination and endeavours to elevate Indian football onto the international stage. This involves his meticulous efforts in recruiting and preparing a team, which includes talented youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds.

Sounds familiar? Well, following the trailer’s release, many netizens drew comparisons between ‘Maidaan’ and Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Chak De! India’ However, director Amit Ravindernath Sharma has debunked these speculations, and promised that there are no similarities between the two films.

In an interview with India Today, Sharma elaborated that sports films are frequently juxtaposed because of their common themes revolving around coaches and players. “As soon as a sports film arrives, people compare these films because of the story of a coach and players. Even before watching the film, people assume that it’s a similar film. There are no similarities between these films, except maybe 22 players are running after one ball on the field,” he stated, further adding, “The story is different, the struggle is different. This is also not a sports biopic, it’s the journey of Abdul Rahim. ‘Maidaan’ is about his emotional journey. Football is just the medium.”

Ajay Devgn’s film ‘Maidaan’ has been in production for a really long time now. The movie is inspired by the story of football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, whose leadership led the Indian football team to victory in the Asian Games of 1951 and 1962.

Amit Sharma further noted that the process of making ‘Maidaan’ posed a significant challenge for him, considering his long-standing desire to delve into biopics, adding that, “the most important thing is that audiences will finally get to know about this man. They need to know what he's done for the country. There is no jingoism, but just his utmost love for India and football.”

‘Maidaan’ is all set to release on April 10.