Cast & Crew
Critic's Rating: 4.5
Dangal is both inspiring and entertaining
Dangal Story: When Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir), a wrestler from Haryana, loses hope of having a son, he trains his daughters Geeta (Fatima) and Babita (Sanya) to make wrestling history, thus breaking the taboo of Indian women participating in a sport thus far dominated by men.
Dangal Review: In the story department, Dangal offers few surprises because Geeta and Babita's historic wins at the Commonwealth Games and following championships are common knowledge. However, this screen adaptation serves as a recap of their arduous journey and it vigorously recaptures their stubborn father's resolve to make them professional wrestlers against the odds. Since it encapsulates the historic wins of the Phogats, who brought India glory, the film is also bound to inspire more women to seriously consider kushti as a sport.
What works wonderfully here is the writing. Director Nitesh Tiwari, along with Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain and Nikhil Mehrotra should be complimented for their tongue-in-cheek quality, peppered with humour and several poignant father-daughter emotions all through. Of course, a little bit is lost in translation because of the Haryanvi twang. But, messages on our obsession with the male child (prevalent since the dark ages), myopic stand on bringing up our daughters and the administration’s pathetic disposition towards sports, are loud and clear.
It is to the film’s credit that though Geeta and Babita’s wins are documented, it still manages to engage the viewer with the wrestling tournaments and bring patriotic emotions to the fore. Most importantly, Dangal scores with its first-rate performances. An ungainly Aamir (22 kilos heavier) with grey hair is pitch-perfect as the ziddi yet sensitive parent. The 51-year-old actor should be complimented for experimenting with his roles, unlike his contemporaries who prefer to play safe. Sakshi as his wife, is restrained, yet effective. And, the debutants Fatima and Sanya are easily this year’s best finds.
Music director Pritam and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya manage an earthy soundtrack with Daler Mehndi’s title track pumping up the adrenaline. Also, the soft track Gilheriyaan, the Haryanvi rap and hip-hop Haanikarak Bapu and the Dhakaad number, are in perfect tandem with the narrative.
Demonetisation be damned, watch Dangal.
Also Read: Dangal Movie Review in Hindi
Dangal Story: When Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir), a wrestler from Haryana, loses hope of having a son, he trains his daughters Geeta (Fatima) and Babita (Sanya) to make wrestling history, thus breaking the taboo of Indian women participating in a sport thus far dominated by men.
movie
Dangal Review: In the story department, Dangal offers few surprises because Geeta and Babita's historic wins at the Commonwealth Games and following championships are common knowledge. However, this screen adaptation serves as a recap of their arduous journey and it vigorously recaptures their stubborn father's resolve to make them professional wrestlers against the odds. Since it encapsulates the historic wins of the Phogats, who brought India glory, the film is also bound to inspire more women to seriously consider kushti as a sport.
What works wonderfully here is the writing. Director Nitesh Tiwari, along with Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain and Nikhil Mehrotra should be complimented for their tongue-in-cheek quality, peppered with humour and several poignant father-daughter emotions all through. Of course, a little bit is lost in translation because of the Haryanvi twang. But, messages on our obsession with the male child (prevalent since the dark ages), myopic stand on bringing up our daughters and the administration’s pathetic disposition towards sports, are loud and clear.
It is to the film’s credit that though Geeta and Babita’s wins are documented, it still manages to engage the viewer with the wrestling tournaments and bring patriotic emotions to the fore. Most importantly, Dangal scores with its first-rate performances. An ungainly Aamir (22 kilos heavier) with grey hair is pitch-perfect as the ziddi yet sensitive parent. The 51-year-old actor should be complimented for experimenting with his roles, unlike his contemporaries who prefer to play safe. Sakshi as his wife, is restrained, yet effective. And, the debutants Fatima and Sanya are easily this year’s best finds.
Music director Pritam and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya manage an earthy soundtrack with Daler Mehndi’s title track pumping up the adrenaline. Also, the soft track Gilheriyaan, the Haryanvi rap and hip-hop Haanikarak Bapu and the Dhakaad number, are in perfect tandem with the narrative.
Demonetisation be damned, watch Dangal.
Also Read: Dangal Movie Review in Hindi
In-depth Analysis
Our overall critic’s rating is not an average of the sub scores below.
Summary / Analysis
Spoiler alert! Please do not read the following plot summary if you have not seen the film.
Plot Summary
Mahavir Phogat (Aamir Khan) lives in a village in Haryana with his wife Daya (Sakshi). Mahavir is an amateur wrestler and has won several local championships. However, he has to give up professional wrestling because he takes up a job to feed his family.
However, wrestling never really leaves him. Mahavir dreams of the day when he will sire a son who will bring a gold medal for India. Unfortunately his wife gives birth to four daughters, the first two of who are Geeta (Fatima) and Babita (Sanya).
Mahavir's brother also lives with him. He has a son who is of the same age as Geeta and Babita.
One day when Mahavir and his wife return from the market, some villagers bitterly complain to him about how their sons have been beaten up. Mahavir assumes that his nephew has beaten up those boys. However, he soon realises that it is his older daughters who have done this.
He apologies to the villagers and he reprimands his nephew. After the villagers have left, he smiles. He suddenly realises that he doesn't need a son to train in wrestling. Even his daughters can do Dangal.
From the very next morning, Mahavir begins training his daughters. The young school going girls hate their boot camp. It is tough. And they are constantly falling asleep in school because they are so tired.
They also get teased in school for walking like men. One day the girls decide to trick their father and not wake up for the training.
They change the time on the alarm clock and sleep peacefully. They also make excuses of how their long hair is causing issues in the training.
Aamir then gets a local barber to cut his daughters' long tresses. The girls plead but he doesn't pay heed.
In school, the girls get teased. They hate their father for making them going through so much embarrassment. One day they attend a school mate's wedding without telling their father. When they tell their friend who is getting married how they hate their father for making them going through the wrestling training, she replies that it was nice of their father to at least give them some training, unlike her who was being forced to marry at the age of 14.
The girls learn to appreciate their dad. Next morning they set off for training and from then on, they train real hard. Aamir allows them to wear shorts for the training and he even allows them to eat chicken.
Once he thinks they are ready, he gets Geeta to participate in her first Dangal where she beats a local pehelwan and wins Rs 50. Aamir preserves this 50 rupees in an album.
After this Geeta wins several tournaments and even wins a gold. When she grows up she goes to the National Sports Academy in Patiala and participates in several international tournaments. However, Geeta loses sight of her goal and becomes lax. She loses four big tournaments in Moscow, Indonesia and other places. Her father is upset but he is not keen to talk to her.
In the meantime Babita also becomes a professional wrestler and wins local championships. Babita also qualifies to go to the NSA. Here she sees how her older sister has lost her way. She gets her sister to come back on track by patching up with her father, who has moved to Patiala with their cousin.
While the sports coach trains them at the Academy, their father gives them lessons outside.
When it is time for the Commonwealth Games Geeta has to wrestle with Angela Watson, to whom she had lost earlier.
Spoiler alert ahead: Read only if you have seen the film
Geeta almost loses her match because her coach asks her to defend only. However, her father asks her to attack or defend depending on how the opponent plays it. Just before the final match, the coach plays dirty and gets Mahavir locked up in the stadium so that he is not present in the stands when Geeta is doing her final round.
Geeta is lost without her father's assurance. However, she remembers a piece of advice he once gave her. She remembers him telling her that she must make her own path and that he would not always be around to save her. Geeta then comes into her own and defeats the Australian. She becomes the first girl to bring India glory as a professional wrestler in the 55 kilos category. Her sister Babita wins the silver in the 51 kilos category. India's daughters do the country proud. Post this, the girls won several medals and have inspired women across the country to try their hand at professional wrestling.
Mahavir Phogat (Aamir Khan) lives in a village in Haryana with his wife Daya (Sakshi). Mahavir is an amateur wrestler and has won several local championships. However, he has to give up professional wrestling because he takes up a job to feed his family.
However, wrestling never really leaves him. Mahavir dreams of the day when he will sire a son who will bring a gold medal for India. Unfortunately his wife gives birth to four daughters, the first two of who are Geeta (Fatima) and Babita (Sanya).
Mahavir's brother also lives with him. He has a son who is of the same age as Geeta and Babita.
One day when Mahavir and his wife return from the market, some villagers bitterly complain to him about how their sons have been beaten up. Mahavir assumes that his nephew has beaten up those boys. However, he soon realises that it is his older daughters who have done this.
He apologies to the villagers and he reprimands his nephew. After the villagers have left, he smiles. He suddenly realises that he doesn't need a son to train in wrestling. Even his daughters can do Dangal.
From the very next morning, Mahavir begins training his daughters. The young school going girls hate their boot camp. It is tough. And they are constantly falling asleep in school because they are so tired.
They also get teased in school for walking like men. One day the girls decide to trick their father and not wake up for the training.
They change the time on the alarm clock and sleep peacefully. They also make excuses of how their long hair is causing issues in the training.
Aamir then gets a local barber to cut his daughters' long tresses. The girls plead but he doesn't pay heed.
In school, the girls get teased. They hate their father for making them going through so much embarrassment. One day they attend a school mate's wedding without telling their father. When they tell their friend who is getting married how they hate their father for making them going through the wrestling training, she replies that it was nice of their father to at least give them some training, unlike her who was being forced to marry at the age of 14.
The girls learn to appreciate their dad. Next morning they set off for training and from then on, they train real hard. Aamir allows them to wear shorts for the training and he even allows them to eat chicken.
Once he thinks they are ready, he gets Geeta to participate in her first Dangal where she beats a local pehelwan and wins Rs 50. Aamir preserves this 50 rupees in an album.
After this Geeta wins several tournaments and even wins a gold. When she grows up she goes to the National Sports Academy in Patiala and participates in several international tournaments. However, Geeta loses sight of her goal and becomes lax. She loses four big tournaments in Moscow, Indonesia and other places. Her father is upset but he is not keen to talk to her.
In the meantime Babita also becomes a professional wrestler and wins local championships. Babita also qualifies to go to the NSA. Here she sees how her older sister has lost her way. She gets her sister to come back on track by patching up with her father, who has moved to Patiala with their cousin.
While the sports coach trains them at the Academy, their father gives them lessons outside.
When it is time for the Commonwealth Games Geeta has to wrestle with Angela Watson, to whom she had lost earlier.
Spoiler alert ahead: Read only if you have seen the film
Geeta almost loses her match because her coach asks her to defend only. However, her father asks her to attack or defend depending on how the opponent plays it. Just before the final match, the coach plays dirty and gets Mahavir locked up in the stadium so that he is not present in the stands when Geeta is doing her final round.
Geeta is lost without her father's assurance. However, she remembers a piece of advice he once gave her. She remembers him telling her that she must make her own path and that he would not always be around to save her. Geeta then comes into her own and defeats the Australian. She becomes the first girl to bring India glory as a professional wrestler in the 55 kilos category. Her sister Babita wins the silver in the 51 kilos category. India's daughters do the country proud. Post this, the girls won several medals and have inspired women across the country to try their hand at professional wrestling.
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ADD REVIEWTrivia & Goofs
TRIVIA
1. Khan took Haryanvi lessons for the film and even spoke to Kangana Ranaut, who learnt Haryanvi for 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns,' on the subject.
2. Junior Indian women's wrestling team coach Kripa Shankar Bishnoi was approached by Aamir's production house to train the entire crew.
3. Aamir had a screening of the film on December 20 for the Phogat family in Mumbai. Sachin Tendulkar attended the screening too.
4. The girls Fatima and Sanya who play Aamir’s daughters in the film were cast by casting director Mukesh Chhabra after facing several rejections.
5. Taapsee Pannu, Deeksha Seth and Akshara Haasan are said to be considered for the roles of Aamir’s daughters in the film.
6. When Aamir Khan was first approached for the film by Siddharth Roy Kapur, he hesitated. He had to put on weight and appear as a 55-year-old man. Aamir wanted to do the film when he was 60 in real life that would be in 2025.
7. The idea of the film came from Divya Rao (UTV Motion Pictures) who stumbled upon a news report about Mahavir Singh Phogat and thought that the story could be made into a film.
8. After gaining 22 kilos to play the older version of Mahavir Singh Phogat, Aamir Khan lost 25 kilos in 20 weeks to portray his younger version.
9. Aamir Khan and director Nitesh Tiwari reportedly auditioned 3000 girls for the role of Babita Kumari and Geeta Phogat, the two daughters of Mahavir Singh Phogat.
10. Mallika Sherawat had auditioned for the role of Aamir Khan's wife but the part finally went to Sakshi Tanwar.
Box Office
Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’ worked well even in its seventh week with collections of around Rs 1 crore (nett), thus taking the film’s total collection to approximately Rs 374 crore (nett), according to a report on boxofficeindia.com. The Aamir Khan-starrer holds the distinction of being the highest grossing film in Bollywood. The film set several other benchmarks with its wonderful run at the box-office.
Also Read: ‘Jolly LLB 2’ box-office collection Day 5
‘Dangal’ was the big Christmas release of the year gone by and went on to be a blockbuster. The film was inspired by the life of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who trained his daughters Geeta and Babita in wrestling. The two girls went on to win gold medals at the international level. Featuring Sakshi Tanwar as their mother and Aamir’s on-screen wife, the film was an out-and-out success with wonderful performances, songs and drama.
Also Read: ‘Kaabil’ box-office collection Day 19
‘Dangal’ took home four awards at Filmfare Awards 2017 – Best Actor for Aamir Khan, Best Director for Nitesh Tiwari, Best Film and Best Action for Sham Kaushal.
Also Read: ‘Jolly LLB 2’ box-office collection Day 5
‘Dangal’ was the big Christmas release of the year gone by and went on to be a blockbuster. The film was inspired by the life of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who trained his daughters Geeta and Babita in wrestling. The two girls went on to win gold medals at the international level. Featuring Sakshi Tanwar as their mother and Aamir’s on-screen wife, the film was an out-and-out success with wonderful performances, songs and drama.
Also Read: ‘Kaabil’ box-office collection Day 19
‘Dangal’ took home four awards at Filmfare Awards 2017 – Best Actor for Aamir Khan, Best Director for Nitesh Tiwari, Best Film and Best Action for Sham Kaushal.
FAQs
- What is the release date of 'Dangal'?
Release date of Aamir Khan and Sakshi Tanwar starrer 'Dangal' is 2016-12-23. - Who are the actors in 'Dangal'?
'Dangal' star cast includes Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra. - Who is the director of 'Dangal'?
'Dangal' is directed by Nitesh Tiwari. - What is Genre of 'Dangal'?
'Dangal' belongs to 'Drama, Biography, Sport' genre. - In Which Languages is 'Dangal' releasing?
'Dangal' is releasing in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.