The 71st National Film Awards gave Best Actor honours to Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Cahmpion and Mammootty for Bramayugam, but the verdict triggered a parallel conversation online around Ajay Devgn and Maidaan. As the winners were officially confirmed, fan pages and movie watchers quickly turned the spotlight back on Devgn’s performance as Syed Abdul Rahim, pushing Maidaan into the centre of a fresh awards debate.
That frustration has come with an important distinction. The 71st National Film Awards honoured films certified in 2023, while Maidaan released in theatres on April 10, 2024. The film was not part of that awards pool, but the Best Actor result still reignited chatter around Devgn’s recent work, with fans using the moment to argue that his turn in Maidaan deserved top tier recognition in the larger awards conversation around Hindi cinema performances.
Fan Backlash Puts Maidaan Back In Focus
Directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, Maidaan cast Devgn as legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim in a performance built on restraint rather than showiness. The biographical sports drama, backed by Boney Kapoor and Zee Studios, also featured Priyamani, Gajraj Rao and Rudranil Ghosh. In the hours after the National Awards verdict drew headlines, online reactions repeatedly circled back to the film, with posts praising the emotional control Devgn brought to the role.
One social media post from a fan account summed up the mood in blunt terms: “Ajay Devgn deserved Best Actor for Maidaan.” The line spread widely because it captured the exact grievance driving the backlash. For Devgn’s supporters, the conversation is not about rewriting the National Awards eligibility window, but about using this moment to underline how strongly Maidaan has stayed with audiences long after its theatrical run.
The reaction has carried extra weight because Devgn is hardly an outsider to National Award recognition. He previously won the National Film Award for Best Actor for Zakhm and The Legend of Bhagat Singh, which gives the current online push a sharper edge. This is less a case of fans demanding overdue validation for his career and more a forceful reminder of how highly they rank his work in Maidaan.
Ajay Devgn’s Recent And Upcoming Work
The renewed discussion around Maidaan also lands at a busy point in Devgn’s career. In 2024, he appeared across sharply different films with Shaitaan, Maidaan, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha and Singham Again, balancing darker drama with mainstream star driven fare. In 2025, he followed that run with Raid 2 and De De Pyaar De 2, keeping his theatrical presence steady. His recent release Dhamaal 4 proved a big hit at box office.
Looking ahead, Drishyam 3 stands as his next confirmed major theatrical release, with the Hindi sequel set for October 2, 2026. That gives Devgn another high profile title on the horizon, even as the conversation around Maidaan continues to gather emotional force online. If the latest backlash has proved anything, it is that the film’s afterlife remains intensely alive among viewers who have not moved on from that performance.
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