Film

Maidaan

Name: Maidaan
Genre: Drama
Released: 2024
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Priyamani, Gajraj Rao, Baharul Islam, Rudranil Ghosh

Biopic

Maidaan chronicles India's golden age of football through the eyes of Syed Abdul Rahim, the visionary coach who transformed a fledgling team into continental contenders. It's a sweeping, character-driven sports drama that balances intimate personal struggle with the euphoria of national triumph. For anyone moved by underdogs, coaching brilliance, and the power of belief to reshape a nation.

TMDb rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love sports stories built on patient, stubborn craft, where the drama lives in tactics, training grinds and the quiet politics of a team rather than in one big match.

Skip it if you want a brisk underdog crowd-pleaser; at just over three hours it lingers on administration, rivalries and sideline wrangling, and some stretches will test your patience.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a long, measured watch that unfolds in chapters across a decade, with the mood more earnest than giddy and your attention rewarded slowly.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India2001

A cricket team defies colonial oppression through sport. Like Maidaan, it's an epic about Indians reclaiming dignity through athletic excellence, with similar scale, emotion, and historical resonance.

But Nearly four hours long, and cricket can feel impenetrable if you don't know the sport. The film assumes patience.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India poster

Dangal2016

Aamir Khan as a wrestling coach rebuilding his legacy through his daughters. Shares Maidaan's DNA: an older mentor figure, physical transformation, family sacrifice, and the dream of Olympic glory for India.

But Covers similar thematic ground so directly that it may feel familiar. The father-daughter dynamic shifts the emotional weight in ways some find sentimental.

Chak De! India2007

Shah Rukh Khan coaches a women's hockey team toward world championship. The same underdog-sports-triumph template, with equally rousing ensemble work and that specific Indian patriotism done right.

But Lighter in tone than Maidaan, occasionally verging on melodrama. The personal stakes are less complex and the film moves faster, which some may find it lacks depth.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Maidaan

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Invictus2009

Both are historical dramas about how a single coach's vision uses sport to heal a fractured nation and restore pride. Both set in the 1950s-60s and both ask what a team victory means to a whole country.

Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela using rugby to unite post-apartheid South Africa. A sports film about nation-building and reconciliation through athletics. It has Maidaan's moral weight and its belief in sport as transformation.

But American film, so the perspective is Western and the intimate details of South African politics are simplified. Feels slightly didactic at times.

Soorma2018

Diljit Dosanjh as a hockey player rebuilding after tragedy. A quieter sports drama focused on resilience and comeback. The meditation on personal cost mirrors Maidaan's examination of what excellence demands.

But Smaller in scope and less eventful. The film is meditative where Maidaan is grand, which can feel slow if you want spectacle.

M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story2016

A biopic of cricket's transformative captain, exploring the weight of national expectation and the loneliness at the top. Similar structure: one man's vision reshaping Indian sport.

But Depends entirely on knowing Dhoni's story already. Without that context, beats land less hard. Cricket-centric, which narrows appeal.

Kabali2016

While not a sports film, Rajinikanth's comeback role explores legacy, sacrifice, and redemption in a mentor-student relationship. The emotional architecture of an older man's second act resonates with Rahim's journey.

But A Tamil action film that shifts genre entirely. If you want another sports drama, this will feel like a detour, however rewarding the character work.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan2015

Salman Khan as an older man driven by purpose and faith to cross borders. Thematically distant from sports, but shares Maidaan's faith in human connection and the possibility of transcendence through singular devotion.

But Not a sports film at all. A melodramatic family drama that swaps stadium triumph for emotional catharsis. Tone shift may frustrate those wanting more Maidaan-like momentum.

Senna2010

Like Rahim, Senna is a portrait of a singular figure whose drive to perfect their craft becomes inseparable from their humanity. Both explore what it means to sacrifice everything for excellence in an arena larger than sport.

A documentary-styled narrative about a racer's obsession, rivalry, and death. Not a conventional sports film—it's a study of genius, ambition, and the costs of excellence. Visually stunning and psychologically acute.

But Formula One is niche. The film assumes interest in racing and Brazilian politics. It's melancholic rather than triumphant, which undercuts the uplift many seek in sports stories.

The Two Escobars2010

Both are films about how sport and national identity are inseparable. Where Maidaan shows sport as liberation, this shows what happens when politics and violence invade the pitch—the inverse possibility.

A documentary interweaving the story of Colombian footballer Andrés Escobar with the rise of Pablo Escobar. Sport becomes a mirror for national trauma. Maidaan shows sport healing a nation; this shows sport revealing its wounds.

But Disturbing subject matter. A murder, corruption, and violence form the backbone. It's investigative journalism, not inspiration, and the darkness lingers.