Amit R Sharma’s historical sports drama Maidaan, which stars Ajay Devgn in the title role, is facing legal issues when it opens in theatres.

A writer from Karnataka has reportedly claimed in a News18 article that the film, which is being produced by Boney Kapoor and Zee Studios, is based on his script on the life of Syed Abdul Rahim, the former football coach of India. The film’s release has been halted by the Mysore court.

The allegation

The Mysore-based writer Anil Kumar presented his version of events on LinkedIn, “I started writing the story in 2010, and in 2018, I posted a poster about this. Through my LinkedIn post, I got in contact with ad director Sukhdas Suryavanshi,” the writer added. He requested me to grab the script and contacted me from Bombay (Mumbai). I own the entire history of our chat. He threatened to force me to meet Aamir Khan, but there were obstacles in the way. I shared the story with him and had it registered with the Screen Writers Association.

Sukhdas Suryavanshi went on to work on Maidaan as an assistant director.

“I recently learned that Maidaan, a movie, is set for release. Since my narrative is identical to yours, I was taken aback. I realized it was my story when I glanced at the teaser and their words. This movie has been created by twisting the basic story. I called the narrative Paadakanduka,” he continued.

A suspension of the movie’s release was imposed by the court after Anil relocated to the Principal District and Session Court in Mysore. The following hearing is set for April 24.

About Maidaan

In Maidaan, which is based on a true incident, Ajay Devgn plays Syed Abdul Rahim, a man who gave his life to football and greatly elevated India’s standing. In addition to Ajay, Priyamani, Gajraj Rao, and Bengali actor Rudranil Ghosh play important roles in the movie.

Oscar-winner AR Rahman wrote the soundtrack for the movie. On Wednesday night, it was shown in some paid previews; nevertheless, in honour of Eid, it was released widely today, Thursday. At the box office, it is competing with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.