If you have already watched 3 Idiots and PK, the two Bollywood masterpieces starring Aamir Khan, you will not be disappointed with Dangal – a biographical action drama inspired by the true story of an amateur Indian wrestler Mahavir (Aamir Khan) who trains his two daughters Geeta (Zaira Wasim plays the child version while Fatima Sana Shaikh plays the adult) and Babita (Suhani Bhatnagar & Sanya Malhotra) into world-class wrestlers. Like his previous films which challenge the societal norms of India, namely the education system and polytheism, his latest production questions the gender stereotypes and roles in the patriarchal society of India.
A Bollywood film based on the true story of a wrestler’s struggle to challenge gender stereotypes and turn his daughters into world-class fighters, has become an unlikely hit in globally, especially in a country like China with the most serious gender imbalance in the world. As a study of single-minded dedication, Nitesh Tiwari’s biopic could not have had a more apt lead, an actor known for his perfectionism and deep involvement with the projects he chooses. Aamir Khan is perfectly cast as Mahavir Singh Phogat, as a remarkable head of a singular family of female wrestlers from Haryana, including the medal-winning Geeta and Babita. Dangal is a chronicle of the industriousness, perseverance and personal sacrifice that produce sporting champions, but it is above all a tribute to obsession. Except for a few scenes, every moment in the 161-minute film reflects Phogat’s dream of making his daughters worthy of winning a gold medal for India. This is the kind of movie in which even small talk involves the words wrestling, medal, hard work, victory, and India.
The story opens with India’s former national champion Mahavir’s hopes for a son who can realise his unfulfilled dream of being a world-renowned wrestler because his father shattered his dream of going global, demanding he get a financially stable job instead. Played by fate, he ends up having four daughters. The story focuses on the elder daughters Geeta and Babita, who rekindle their father’s hope as he discovers their wrestling talent. Since then, the wrestling journey of the two young girls begins with intense training, strict diets and being ridiculed by the villagers and their schoolmates. The two daughters then compete at different wrestling championships at local, national and international levels.
Worry not about the 161-minute runtime, the well-knit plot will keep you interested, and you’ll experience both laughing and weeping. Even when no one’s speaking in the film, the jolly Bollywood soundtrack and telling lyrics will let you know what the characters are going through. The actresses playing the roles of Geeta and Babita trained extensively for their roles and performed all their stunts, adding to the authenticity of the action scenes. Other than the exciting grappling scenes which will take your breath away, another highlight of the film is its reflection on the traditional social expectations of Indian females. While many young ladies still suffer from arranged marriages and being forced into domestic roles, the two short-haired sisters’ alternative lives and identities as pioneers of Indian female wrestlers suggest the deep-rooted gender stereotypes are merely societal constructs.
Mahavir turns his perceived social handicap all daughters and no sons – into his greatest strength. He doesn’t believe in Geeta (Zaira Wasim) and Babita (Suhani Bhatnagar) until he learns one day that they have beaten up two boys who were harassing them. Mahavir puts his daughters through the wringer, ignoring the protests of his wife Daya (Sakshi Tanwar in an ornamental role), the jeers of his neighbours, and the complaints of his children. Mahavir’s tough-love approach pays off when Geeta easily defeats boys in local tournaments and emerges as the state champion. The movie focuses on the relationship between Mahavir and his first-born, who is still far away from becoming the first female Indian wrestler to win the gold medal in the 55 kg freestyle category at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Before she conquers the mat, Geeta has to deal with a new routine that is in opposition to the tricks her earthy father has taught her. Every account of heroism needs a villain, and Dangal unearths one in the coach Pramod (Girish Kulkarni), who demands that Geeta disavow her previous training.
The tensions between father and daughter at this point offer a chance to provide a psychological understanding of Geeta’s journey, but Dangal’s filmmakers let the opportunity slip. Unlike sports biopics in the West, which value the importance of the athlete’s quest for personal achievement that is above patriotism and national glory, Dangal is clear that the only reason Mahavir risks social opprobrium is to win a medal for India. There is nothing shameful about individual excellence, but the idea is simply not entertained by Dangal, whose nationalistic fervour reaches its nadir or zenith, take your pick, in the climax. The best bits are in the first 80-odd minutes, which provide an absorbing portrait of the family dynamics that allow Mahavir to steamroll domestic and external opposition. Geeta and Babita quickly realise that rebelling against their father is useless, and one scene crudely reminds us that without his obstinacy, the girls would have been married off at the first opportunity. Again, it is Mahavir who delivers the progressive message that female athletes must be encouraged and supported as strongly as males.
Dangal leaves the other sports-based films far behind in its portrayal of the rigours of training and depiction of the sport. Deftly shot by Setu, the film glows with the golden-brown hues of rural Haryana. The wrestling sequences are highly credible and exciting, and the decision to allow Geeta’s crucial matches to play out in full rather than being edited down pay rich dividends. Tiwari’s ability to handle young talent, previously seen in his films Chillar Party and Bhoothnath Returns, is never more evident than in the two girls who play the younger versions of Geeta and Babita. Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra are convincing as the older wrestlers, but the scene-stealers are Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar, who play their younger selves. A delightful foil to the hard-working girls is their cousin Omkar (Ritwik Sahore in the younger role and Aparshakti Khurana in the older role), who is ramrodded by Mahavir into providing the girls with a sparring partner.
Nobody turns Mahavir down, and the movie pays handsome tribute to his obduracy. Every age produces the cinema it deserves, and with its insistence on absolute obedience to an authoritarian figure, Dangal is inadvertently a reflection of our times. Daddy truly does know best, and Dangal harbours no doubt whatsoever that his daughters are wise not to question him. Whether Dangal is better or worse than 3 Idiots or PK isn’t important, because they’re all great movies! Fans can look forward to what Aamir Khan has in store for us next, after already playing with the topics of education, religion, and (partial) feminism.
