We will sail through this: Boney Kapoor after Cyclone Tauktae damages ‘Maidaan’ sets

By PTI

MUMBAI: Cyclone Tauktae has damaged the sets of Ajay Devgn-starrer “Maidaan” here, but producer Boney Kapoor said the team will sail through these challenges.

The film was delayed last year after the shooting had to be halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The original set was also dismantled due to rains and the makers had to rebuilt it at Film City in suburban Goregaon.

Apart from the shooting space, there were monitor rooms, eight to ten make up rooms for different teams and 26 to 30 bathrooms, production office and other areas that were damaged by the cyclone, Kapoor said.

The producer, 65, said he is yet to visit the the damaged set as it would be “heartbreaking” for him to see.

“My executive producer and production team has been there and they have given me a fair assessment that this time what could be the approximate cost of putting it up again. For me to go there and visit the set again would be heartbreaking,” he told PTI.

About 80 per cent of the shooting is complete and the production had begun after the initial lockdown but the second wave of the pandemic put a stop to the shoot again and now the cyclone has made things difficult for the team.

Kapoor, however, is confident that they will “sail through this”.

“There are challenges which you come across whenever you are on a journey to make a film. When there are such challenges, the team has to be more united and passionate to make sure that what has been conceived comes across on screen. And that is what I see happening for ‘Maidaan’,” he said.

“I am hoping once everything comes back to normal, we will complete the rest of the film and hope the result makes the audience happy. That’s the endeavor always.”

The movie features Devgn, 52, in the role of Syed Abdul Rahim, who served as a coach and manager of Indian football team from 1950 until his death in 1963.

The producer said there are about eight football match sequences in the film of which almost half have been shot.

He revealed the team will need around 30 days to complete the shoot, which will happen at the Film City.

Also starring Priyamani, Gajraj Rao and Bengali actor Rudranil Ghosh, “Maidaan” is presented by Zee Studios and Kapoor, who is serving as the producer along with Akash Chawla and Arunava Joy Sengupta.