By Murtuza Iqbal
Ajay Devgn starrer Maidaan is facing a lot of hurdles. Last year, due to the lockdown the shooting of the film was stalled and the makers had to dismantle the sets because of the rains.
This year, the set was build again, but due to the second wave of Covid-19, the shoot was once again put on hold. A few days ago, Cyclone Tauktae had hit Mumbai and the sets of Maidaan were damaged at the Film City.
Recently, while talking to PTI about it, producer Boney Kapoor stated, “My executive producer and production team has been there and they have given me a fair assessment that this time what could be the approximate cost of putting it up again. For me to go there and visit the set again would be heartbreaking.”
However, Boney Kapoor is confident that they will "sail through this". He said, "There are challenges which you come across whenever you are on a journey to make a film. When there are such challenges, the team has to be more united and passionate to make sure that what has been conceived comes across on screen. And that is what I see happening for Maidaan.”
“I am hoping once everything comes back to normal, we will complete the rest of the film and hope the result makes the audience happy. That's the endeavor always," the filmmaker added.
Directed by Amit Sharma, Maidaan is a biopic on football coach Syed Abdul Rahim. The film also stars Priyamani and Gajraj Rao.
A few days ago, there were reports that the film might release on an OTT platform on a pay-per-view basis. However, the makers had denied the reports.
In a statement, the makers had said, “We would like to share that there is currently no conversation with any streaming platform for pay-per-view release of the film Maidaan. Our focus, at present, is to complete the film keeping everyone’s safety in mind and in full compliance of Protocols laid down by the Government.”
Maidaan is slated to hit the big screens on 15th October 2021.
British actor Richard O'Sullivan, the star of several television series of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images