The film based on wrestlers Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat was helmed by Nitesh Tiwari. To get rid of the weariness, to feel motivated and be proud of the country that we live in.Dangal remains to be one of the most successful films ever in Aamir Khan's filmography. Without being jingoistic, with sly humour abundantly thrown in the script and with a compelling, inspiring story – Dangal is the film that India needs right now. You may not feel patriotic at the beginning of the film when you are asked to stand up for the national anthem, but you will find yourself standing at the end and cheering for the country. You will want to cheer loudly for the underdog from Bilali village in Bhiwani District of Haryana. You may be distraught with the government and its recent diktats, but you will tear up in joy and pride as Geeta clenches the gold after a tight match. If 2016 has been the year of the patriot, where one has had to wear nationalism on one’s sleeve, Dangal should ideally be the film that promotes this theme. While the film is about a father-daughter relationship and about a long forgotten sport, it also beautifully evokes a sense of pride in one’s country and the immense talent it has to offer. In reality, it’s never an easy ride to the top but somehow Bollywood tends to skip the grime and just paint the rosy picture in most of its films. But Dangal, in subtle, nuanced way highlights all these aspects that made Phogat sisters the greatest wrestlers of the country. Funds aren’t adequate for training, bad coach, lack of exposure- all these are integral part of any sportsperson’s journey in the country and such things are not always addressed in a sports dramas that are made in Bollywood. Unlike Salman Khan in Sultan, who overnight becomes a world champion, an Olympic gold medalist and wins the heart of the girl he pines for, Dangal gives a real picture where the main characters are shown to go through several failures before reaching the top. Sprinkled with humour, the film gives a glimpse on the hard work that goes into becoming a champion in any sport. Dangal easily manages to strike that balance. Making a sports based film is never easy and one always has to keep a check on getting the techniques right as well as to make it an entertaining watch. So it is pertinent for a star like Aamir Khan to show the country a sport that the country is known for internationally. The cricket obsessed country only understands one sport and obsesses over it.
A sport that finds its mention in the vedas, and is being practiced in several parts of rural northern India for years, strangely is not the most popular sport. It gives us more women to idealize, to emulate – it gives hopes to scores of households where the woman is often taunted for not bearing a son. In a country, where women are still not treated equally, especially in smaller towns and rural areas and where the yearning to have a son, an heir, is still a common thought in a lot of families, Mahavir Phogat’s story is heartening.
Where one daughter complains that her father doesn’t treat her as a human, and the other complains about how he is hell bent on making them into wrestlers.
It’s a simple scene but it highlights brilliantly the irony of the situation.