Boney Kapoor said, “What I am going through is horrible. I don’t want to be reminded of it. If I think about the pressure or feelings or loss, I will start crying. If I think about the budget overshooting and expenses pilling up, I might go into depression. Mera dil hi nahin kar raha ke set dekhu abhi.(I don’t even feel like looking at the set right now)”
The film producer will now have to set it up for the third time. He first had to dismantle it during last year’s coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown. Kapoor, in a recent interview, shared that while setting it up for the second time, he could reuse most of the material. But, this time, 70-80% of the set is in ruins, and he will have to rebuild it from scratch.
But the filmmaker is grateful to God that there were no casualties when the cyclone hit the Maidaan sets. The 40-50 people who were present there came out unhurt.
The team of Maidaan has shot for 50% of the matches and need a new setup for the remaining ones for at least 20 days. Kapoor shared, “Last year when we dismantled, materials could be reused but after destruction in a cyclone, hardly anything is salvageable. I had eight make up rooms, 26 bathrooms, different sets- but most of it is gone. We had an eight-camera setup and specialised equipment to capture players while playing.”
Recently, a few reports suggested that the makers of the sports drama are contemplating a hybrid release model for their film. But, the producers rubbished such reports.
In a statement, producers Boney Kapoor, Akash Chawla and Arunava Joy Sengupta said they are not in conversation with any streaming platform for the digital release of Maidaan. “We would like to share that there is currently no conversation with any streaming platform for pay per view release of the film ‘Maidaan’. Our focus, at present, is to complete the film keeping everyone’s safety in mind and in full compliance of Protocols laid down by the Government. We request you to please reach out to us regarding any news about Maidaan,” the statement read.
Based on the golden years of Indian football, Maidaan features Ajay Devgn as the legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim. Apart from him, the Amit Sharma directorial also stars Priyamani, Gajraj Rao and Rudranil Ghosh. For now, it is scheduled to hit theatres on August 13, 2021.
