After Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn set to star in Sports biopic

What's the story?

Zee Studios have announced that production on a new sports feature film has begun. The movie, which will star Ajay Devgn, will tell the story of India's legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim.

In case you didn't know...

Born in Hyderabad during the time of British India, Abdul Rahim would go on to play football professionally. However, it is not his playing days that are widely known. Rather, it is what he achieved from the sidelines, which has gone down in the history books.

The heart of the matter

Cashing in on the recent trend of biopics, Zee Studios had made their latest move announcing a feature film about Syed Abdul Rahim. The movie will star Ajay Devgn and will be directed by Amit Sharma. As of now, no release date has been nailed down for the film.

Elated and proud to announce a story never told as @ZeeStudios_ #BoneyKapoor & @freshlimefilms come together for a biopic on India’s legendary #Football coach, Syed Abdul Rahim, starring @ajaydevgn, directed by @CinemaPuraDesi, screenplay by @SaiwynQ, and dialogues by @writish. pic.twitter.com/vzaLJya67x

— Zee Studios (@ZeeStudios_) July 13, 2018

Syed Abdul Rahim was India's football coach from 1950, until his death in 1963. The Indian football team saw their most successful years under Abdul Rahim. The Hyderabad-born coach most famously led India to two Asian Games Gold medals in 1951 and 1962.

Under him, the Indian football team also reached the Semifinals of the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

The movie is expected to mimic the trend of sports films in India, following successful feature films like Dangal, Sultan, Chak de India, MS Dhoni: An Untold Story, and many others. However, only time will tell whether it can match the commercial and critical success of its predecessors.

What's next?

The film in itself is not expected to be released until next year. However, the timing of this announcement is impeccable.

Firstly, it comes in the midst of football fever in India, due to the ongoing FIFA World Cup. Secondly, and more importantly, it comes shortly after the Indian Olympic Association decided not to send the Indian football teams (Men's and Women's) to Jakarta, for the 2018 Asian Games.