Movie Review: 'Dangal'

There are interesting movies. There are inspiring movies. Then there is Dangal – a movie balancing both angles while striking right commercial chords and more importantly, without ever losing sight of the subject. Mahavir Singh and his mighty daughters steal the show and win the hearts along with winning matches. The story as everyone knows or at least can easily guess is a potent attempt, rather hugely successful I say, in the direction of changing people’s mindsets about our daughters in specific and girls in general. It is simple, predictable and despite that, a delightful watch.

An ambitious national-level wrester, Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan), has to quit wrestling to earn bread for the family, but its stinging seed of winning a gold medal for India never leaves him, showing him always at unrest. Keeping with the earlier Indian tradition he doesn’t mind fathering children in the hope of having a son to whom he can pass on his wrestling baton and train him into a gold-worthy champion.  As luck would have it, he gets blessed with, not one, not two, not even three, but four daughters. Rightfully mentioned in the movie, as a drowning man clutches a straw, Mahavir Singh clutches on to the fighting spark he sees in his elder daughters, Geeta and Babita. Both the girls have to ditch their typical girlhood, grudgingly at first and painfully later, to live up to their father’s dream. Senior Phogat leaves no stone unturned, rather no boy unturned, in converting their hesitant daughters into powerful wrestlers. In the face of the mocking patriarchal society, both shine their way to championship by flipping, swinging, and pinning the opponents to the ground.  Though they bring their father and India many proud wins internationally, the movie elaborates on the Commonwealth games of 2010 to allow the audience to sit back and rejoice Geeta’s journey to getting gold.

The cast of the movie is outstanding to say the least. From the girls playing young Geeta and Babita to two lovely actresses showing their adult versions come across with forceful gusto and solid cinematic presence. Pulling off deft back-archs to fine-rolls to leg-takedowns by wearing a grim face isn’t a kid’s play. Fatima Sana Shaikh and Zaira Wasim are simply terrific as Geeta. Sakshi Tanwar is effortless in her role of a supportive wife and mother. Aamir Khan towers above his contemporaries by nailing with a “dhaakad” performance with those extreme looks – paunchy and pecky.  And Nitesh Tiwari gets a thumbs-up for direction.

I don’t want to be a nitpicker and share what I felt were easily avoidable, fringe-looking theatrical patches towards the end for it would chip off its deserving sheen. It is sure to consume you with assorted emotions and leave you with a smile.