Ajay Devgn’s film Maidaan, a biographical drama about footballer Syed Abdul Rahim and directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, received praise from critics but had a modest box office turnout. Amit Sharma has expressed his confusion about the film’s underwhelming performance, saying, “I couldn’t find the reason for why the big numbers did not happen.” He added, “After it released on OTT, I was flooded with messages and emails.”
In a recent interview with DNA, Sharma discussed the film’s reception. He mentioned that although the film did not attract large audiences in theaters, those who did watch it praised it highly. “When the film was released, a lot of people did not watch it. But whoever watched it only praised it. They all appreciated it. I was making rounds of the theaters and saw the public’s reaction. It was amazing,” he said.
Sharma noted that after its OTT release, he received many messages from people who regretted not seeing it in theaters. However, he pointed out that watching films in theaters is ultimately a personal choice. Despite the film’s high budget of over Rs 200 crore, Maidaan earned only Rs 68 crore at the box office. Sharma admitted he is puzzled by the film’s financial performance, as it received positive feedback from viewers.
Despite the box office results, Sharma is pleased with the final product. He was especially encouraged by praise from European audiences, who compared the film favorably to Hollywood productions. He noted, “People from European countries praising it and comparing it to Hollywood films was a big validation. They all said they had never seen football shown like this in any film, even in the West.”
Maidaan, starring Ajay Devgn as Syed Abdul Rahim, also features Priyamani, Gajraj Rao, and Rudranil Ghosh. Directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, known for Badhaai Ho, the film was produced by Zee Studios, Boney Kapoor, Arunava Joy Sengupta, and Akash Chawla. Released on April 10, 2024, to coincide with Eid, Maidaan is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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