Legendary Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim will gain recognition from a biopic on him to be produced by Boney Kapoor of Zee Studios. The film which will star Ajay Devgn in the lead role, is set for release in the latter half of 2019.
“Football is a popular game globally and has a great following in India too. With this movie, we aim to recreate the glorious days of Indian football when it won the Asian Games gold in 1962 under the guidance of Rahim Saab . It is our endeavour to decorate his coaching excellence in the form of a movie so that he can be recognised across the country,” Kapoor told Sportstar .
Akash Chawla and Joy Sengupta are the co-producers of the film which will also involve noted commentator Novy Kapadia in research on Rahim, who passed away in 1963, a year after the Asian Games triumph.
According to Syed Shahid Hakim, son of Rahim, his father was, “suffering from early stages of cancer when he left for Jakarta for the Asian Games. I am glad a movie is being made on his life and contribution to the game. He remained unsung even though his students treated him as a father figure. Every footballer in the country was his son,” Haim said from Hyderabad.
On the forthcoming movie, Hakim, who officiated as referee in 33 internationals, added, “I want the real Rahim Saab to shine on the screen. He was a selfless worker, wanting the team and not any individual to do well. He was a great teacher and a great psychologist. He could read the mind of his players and get them to perform best. He never discriminated against anyone and that was his greatest quality. I hope the movie does justice to his personality and I think Devgn is best suited to play the role of my father.”
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