Hyderabad: The much-awaited trailer for Ajay Devgan-starrer Maidaan was released last week. The movie is based on football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, a Hyderabadi football coach under whose leadership the Indian football team won the Asian Games in 1951,
Rahim is credited with taking Indian football to new heights and winning accolades for the country.
The movie is directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma and stars Ajay Devgan, as legendary coach Abdul Rahim and co-stars Priyamani, Gajraj Rao, and Rudranil Ghosh.
Produced by Zee Studios, Boney Kapoor, Arunava Joy Sengupta, and Akash Chawla, the upcoming sports biopic features a screenplay by Saiwyn Quadras and Ritesh Shah.
The music is by A.R. Rahman and the lyrics are by Manoj Muntashir Shukla. The movie will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada on Eid in cinemas worldwide.
Boney Kapoor had earlier said, “I was amazed that not many are aware of someone as significant as Syed Abdul Rahim. He’s an unsung hero whose achievements must be saluted. His team had heroes like Chunni Goswami, PK Banerjee, Balaram, Franco, and Arun Ghosh.
Rahim served as the coach of the Indian football team for over a decade from 1950 to 1963. During this period, regarded as the “Golden Age of Indian Football”, the country secured two gold medals at the Asian Games in 1951 and 1962.
Rahim was born on August 17, 1909, in Hyderabad. He did his graduation from Osmania University and also represented a team featuring former students of the college. Rahim worked as a teacher at several institutions including Kachiguda Middle School, Urdu Sharif School, Darul-ul-Uloom High School and Chaderghat High School before totally shifting to football.
Rahim also earned a diploma in physical education and then went on to emerge as a professional footballer. He played for a local club Qamar Club and also represented the Dutch Amateur League club HSV Hoek in the Netherlands.
Rahim played an important role in the Hyderabad Football Association from 1943 and held the position till his death. In 1950 he became the coach of the Hyderabad Police. Under his guidance, the team triumphed in the Rovers Cup five times in a row and lifted the Durand Cup four times. In the 1951 Asian Games, India edged Iran to secure a 1-0 win.
Rahim breathed his last on June 11, 1963, at the age of 53.
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