A still from the teaser shared by Ajay Devgn. (courtesy: ajaydevgn)
Hey folks, the wait is finally over. Ajay Devgn has just dropped the teaser of his upcoming film Maidaan, a sports drama which is based on a true story. Set between 1952-1962 or the "golden era of Indian football" as pointed out by the makers, the teaser, which spans over a few minutes, keeps us hooked with some dynamic shots of sportsmen playing football in the rain. The highlight is without a doubt, Ajay Devgn, who makes a stylish appearance in a grey coat, holding an umbrella while overlooking a match. The actor plays the role of the legendary football coach, Syed Abdul Rahim, in the film. We also get a glimpse of The Family Man actress Priyamani and Badhaai Ho star Gajraj Rao.
The energy which the teaser exudes is almost contagious and leaves us wanting more. The teaser ends with a power-packed dialogue mouthed by Ajay Devgn himself, "Aaj Maidaan mein utarna gyarah lekin dikhna ek (today when you step out on the field, you should be 11 in number but should look like one)."
Sharing the teaser, the Bholaa star captioned it, "Maidaan mein utrenge Gyarah par dikhenge Ek (11 will step out on the field but will look like one). A True Story. Teaser out now." Take a look at the much-awaited teaser here:
In 2020, the shooting of Maidaan was stalled when the nationwide lockdown was imposed to curb the COVID pandemic. A huge set, sprawling over 16 acres of land in the same area, had to be dismantled as shooting schedules and film productions were halted last year. Another roadbloack hit when Cyclone Tauktae, which passed through Mumbai in 2021, reportedly damaged the set of Maidaan erected at a stadium in the outskirts of the city.
Notably, the teaser of Maidaan has been released on the same day as Ajay Devgn's action-thriller film Bholaa releases in theatres.
Helmed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma and co-produced by Boney Kapoor and Zee Studios, this sports drama will see Ajay Devgn essaying the role of Syed Abdul Rahim, who is widely known as the founding father of Indian football. The film will release worldwide in theaters on June 23.
Meanwhile, Ajay Devgn and Tabu's Bholaa opened to middling reviews. NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee, who reviewed the film, had this to say about it. "Bholaa, official remake of the Tamil hit Kaithi (of which, too, there is a sequel in the works), sucks out whatever air there was in Lokesh Kanagaraj's film and delivers a stale, slapdash rehash that rides solely on Devgn's star power. He gives it his all, but that is hardly enough to paper over the massive creases."
Bholaa marks Ajay's fourth film as a director after U, Me aur Hum in 2008, Shivaay in 2016, and Runway 34 in 2022. The film also stars Deepak Dobriyal, Sanjay Mishra, Vineet Kumar, Gajraj Rao and Tabu in pivotal roles.