‘Maidaan’ director Amit Sharma says he had his ‘doubts’ about Ajay Devgn, but once on sets, ‘there was no Singham, only Syed’

Amit Sharma’s directorial ‘Maidaan’, a biopic based on the life of football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, starring Ajay Devgn, is set to release next month. A lot is riding on the film, as Syed Abdul Rahim was the coach of the Indian football team during its golden era from 1952 to 1962, and any discrepancy could cost the makers a lot.

Amit Sharma recently stated that he had an image crisis to imagine Ajay Devgn as Syed, but since the film is about the coach’s ‘emotional’ journey, no one but Devgn could’ve done the part.

The director also confessed that all his worries vanished into thin air once Ajay Devgn came on the set. Talking to Indian Express, Amit Sharma expressed that he had his own doubts since he had never worked with Ajay Devgn before. The image he had in his mind of the actor was that of ‘Singham’. However, it was broken once they started filming. “He would keep the stardom of Ajay Devgn outside the set. Once in, he would be Syed. His performance in the film is incredible,” the director said.

Amit Sharma also recalled the time when Ajay Devgn asked him, “Who is Syed for you?”

Speaking about how Ajay Devgn effortlessly metamorphosed into Syed, he added, “When we started having conversations about him, I remember at one point he was standing like the way Ajay Devgn does, with swagger, and by the end of it, he was standing like Syed. Simple, slightly bent. There was no Singham, only Syed.”

‘Maidaan’ is slated for release on April 10, 2024.