Maidaan director Amit Sharma on Priyamani replacing Keerthy Suresh in Ajay Devgn-starrer: “I had a very specific vision in mind” : Bollywood News

The upcoming biographical sports drama Maidaan has been in the news for a while now, especially regarding its cast. Back in 2019, South Indian star Keerthy Suresh was announced to play the lead opposite Ajay Devgn. However, she later exited the project. In a recent interview with News18 Showsha, director Amit Sharma finally addressed the speculation surrounding Keerthy's replacement.

Maidaan director Amit Sharma on Priyamani replacing Keerthy Suresh in Ajay Devgn-starrer: “I had a very specific vision in mind”

Confirming that Keerthy was initially cast, Amit explained, "Yes, that was the plan. But Keerthy Suresh had lost a lot of weight. For the character of Syed Abdul Rahim's (played by Devgn) wife, I had a very specific vision in mind. Unfortunately, due to her weight loss, I felt she wouldn't be the right fit."

The film revolves around the legendary Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, played by Ajay Devgn. Amit further stated, "Syed Abdul Rahim's wife is a crucial character. We needed someone who embodied a certain look and felt Priyamani Raj was a better fit for the part."

This isn't the first collaboration between director Amit Sharma and producer Boney Kapoor. Their previous project was the 2015 film Tevar starring Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha. The filmmaker credits Boney for introducing him to Rahim's story, a tale that left him "teary-eyed."

"Boney ji called me for a story and wanted me to meet him," Amit recalls. "He told me about Syed Abdul Rahim. I had no idea about him and barely knew anything about football. But the story itself moved me so much that I knew it had to be told."

Produced by Zee Studios, Boney Kapoor, Arunava Joy Sengupta and Akash Chawla, the screenplay and dialogues are written by Saiwyn Quadras and Ritesh Shah respectively, Music is by AR Rahman and lyrics by Manoj Muntashir Shukla. The film is all set to release worldwide in theatres on Eid, 2024, also in IMAX.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Amit Sharma reveals that Ajay Devgn was the first and ONLY choice for Maidaan; also shares FASCINATING facts: “3,500 people have worked on the film; computer in the mixing studio would conk off constantly as 1,300 voices have been used”