Popular South Indian actress Priyamani has been signed on to pair opposite Ajay Devgn in Bollywood film Maidaan. The much-awaited sports drama tells the unbelievably true story of the golden years of Indian football. In the upcoming movie, Devgn plays the role of Indian football coach and manager Syed Abdul Rahim who brought glory to the country during the years of 1952 to 1962.
Earlier, National Film Award-winning South Indian actress Keerthy Suresh was set to play the female lead in Maidaan. She even shot for the film for a day. However, after the shoot, the makers and the actress both felt that she looked too young to play a mother onscreen. The actress had lost a lot of weight since she was roped in for the film a couple of months ago. To bring authenticity to the character of a mother, the makers decided it would be better if someone else does the part.
Right after Keerthy Suresh bowed out of Maidaan, the makers roped in Priyamani for the lead part in the film. Priyamani is also a National Award-winning actress who has proved her mettle in over 50 films across all South Indian languages. She was recently seen in the lead role in Amazon Prime Video’s immensely successful show The Family Man opposite Manoj Bajpayee. The actress garnered praise from all corners for her portrayal in the female lead role.
Produced by Zee Studios, Boney Kapoor, Akash Chawla and Arunava Joy Sengupta, Maidaan is directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma of Badhaai Ho (2018) fame. The movie is scheduled to enter theatres worldwide on 27th November, 2020.
