Maidaan, starring Ajay Devgn, Gajraj Rao and Priyamani in the lead roles has faced multiple issues ever since the pandemic began. Over three years after filming began, the film is yet to get a release date. Producer Boney Kapoor has now spoken about the difficulties he has faced over the years while making the film.
In an interview with The New Indian, Kapoor revealed that for the first time, a film is giving him sleepless nights. He said, "Besides Maidaan, there's not a single penny I owe anyone. I never get demoralised. I catch the bull by the horns, and I sleep peacefully. But I’ve been having sleepless nights recently because of Maidaan. But for the first time in my life, I feel the situation is not in my control."
Kapoor revealed that he had to lease a 16-acre piece of land for more than three years to build a football pitch for the film, which increased the budget significantly. He said, “That set was there for more than three years, and that’s what escalated the budget of the film. We haven’t overshot, but we had to pay rent for the ground, we had to remunerate the curators, and we had to maintain the ground… We had a crew of almost 500-600 people every day. We had Taj catering the food. We had two or three ambulances on set.”
Kapoor added that the pandemic and issues with insurance have worsened his problems. "And unfortunately, insurance is not there… As of now, we've got nothing. What they've offered is a measly amount of what I've spent," the producer said.
Maidaan is directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma and tells the story of the golden age of Indian football. Devgn plays the character of Syed Abdul Rahim, the former football coach of India.