Maidaan director Amit Sharma talks about the film's Best Asian Film win in the Amsterdam and its lasting legacy beyond the box office
Ajay Devgn-starrer Maidaan may not have had a great time at the box office but the film has been earning praise from audiences and critics alike. And now, as the award season officially begins, the film is raking in the awards as well. Maidaan recently won the Best Asian Film award at the Septimius Awards in Amsterdam, beating the best of Korean, Japanese, and Iranian films. The film’s director Amit Sharma reflects on the achievement in an exclusive chat with DNA.
“Awards mean a lot to me. As makers, where do you look for appreciation? It can’t just be the money. The recognition you get from that means a lot,” says the filmmaker, talking about the recognition.
Ask him about the Septimius Awards ceremony itself and Amit gets emotional about the response. He tells us, “When I went to attend the award ceremony, nobody knew me over there. But as soon as the nominations were announced, people from all over the world applauded. There were people from Europe, Africa, America. Once I got the award, people from all over came over to congratulate and hug me. I got so many messages afterwards praising the film. That is what Maidaan has done.”
Maidaan was a retelling of the golden era of Indian football, particularly the role of legendary national team coach Syed Abdul Rahim (played by Devgn). The film was made on a budget of over Rs 200 crore but despite positive reviews, underperformed at the box office, earning only Rs 68 crore. But Amit Sharma believes that the film will leave a positive legacy. “I was shooting at the airport recently and as I sat there, regular passengers were passing through,” he explains, sharing an anecdote, “I was there for three days and in that time, every day, 6-8 people came up to me and asked me if I am the director of Maidaan. They called it one of the best films they had ever watched. This is the regular public who have nothing to do with me. I am not calling them. They just want to have a word with me because the film connected with them. I think that is what Maidaan has done. This film will stay with people. That is what is happening and I hope that is what continues to happen.”
Maidaan is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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 "Amit Sharma with Ajay Devgn on the sets of Maidaan")
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