Ajay Devgn's sports drama becomes the actor's first multilingual film

Ajay Devgn at the shoot with director Amit Sharma

Ajay Devgn's magnum opus Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior marks his 100th film in the industry. As he celebrates the milestone, it is only fitting that the actor's future offerings will be bigger. mid-day has it that his next, Maidaan, is being developed as a multi- lingual release, a first for the superstar. The biopic on Syed Abdul Rahim - who served as the coach and manager of the Indian football team from 1950 to1963 and guided the team to victory at the Asian Games in 1951 and 1962 - will have a simultaneous release in hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

Syed Abdul Rahim, one of the most gifted coaches

A trade source reveals, "The film is currently being shot in Lucknow. Through Maidaan, director Amit Ravindernath Sharma wants to familiarise the audience with the legendary coach who had heralded the golden years of Indian football. The makers were keen that the story of Syed Abdul Rahim's immense contribution to Indian football reach as many people as possible. Hence, they decided to also release it in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam, thus tapping the South audience. While Ajay will dub for the Hindi version, the South versions will most likely be recorded by dubbing artistes. The makers are also toying with the idea of roping in celebrated South actors to lend their voice to Ajay's character."

Ajay Devgn

Akash Chawla, who is producing the sports drama with Boney Kapoor and Arunava joy Sengupta, confirms the development, adding that the universal appeal of the story triggered the decision. "Syed Abdul Rahim hailed from hyderabad and was one of the most extraordinary coaches who took Indian football to peaks unknown to us, where India was known then as the Brazil of Asia. We always knew that this subject lends itself across languages. now that we have seen how the film is shaping up during the shoot, we are confident that this is the way to go."