The entertainment industry has been hit hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Owing to the shutdown, several industries including showbiz have faced a major setback. With releases postponed and pre-scheduled shoots stalled, producers and filmmakers are bearing the brunt of the losses of the investments made. Amongst several films, Ajay Devgn's sports-drama Maidaan is now in loss due to the lockdown. Producer Boney Kapoor confirmed that the film's set had to be dismantled as Mumbai rains were approaching.
Opening up about Maidaan being shut down and how does he plan to have it running again, Boney said, "Maidaan is based on real events between 1952 and 1962, also known as the "golden era of Indian football." It has superstar Ajay Devgn who is one of India's finest actors. This is one of the biggest films currently being produced in India, so it required a larger-than-life vision and the most talented creatives in our country. We built a massive outdoor set covering a 16-acre plot around Mumbai, with all the production infrastructure. Just as the shoot was getting underway, the pandemic hit the world. We had to ensure the safety of our entire crew so had to stop all prep and send everyone home. The set has now been dismantled as the rains are due to arrive in Mumbai. The rebuild will take at least two months, which earliest will start in September, so shooting can commence only in November. This has resulted in a massive loss for us. Thankfully all the indoor, and some outdoor, training portions of the film were shot in Lucknow and Kolkata so are already in the can."
Maidaan orbits around the golden years of Indian football between 1951 and 1962. The film is presented by Zee Studios and Boney Kapoor. It is produced by Boney, Akash Chawla and Arunava Joy Sengupta. The screenplay and dialogues are written by Saiwyn Quadros and Ritesh Shah respectively. Maidaan, apart from Ajay, stars Priyamani and is scheduled to release on December 11, 2020.
(Source: Mid-Day)
