In Life’s ‘Dangal’ Everyone Writes Their Own
Destiny!
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Reviewer’s Thumb Mark
Dangal
like many other sports movies that were made in the recent past talks about a
particular sport and through it tells us about its protagonist’s journey from
an ordinary to an extraordinary being. Here in the case of Dangal, it’s a sport
biopic made on the well-known National Wrestling Champion Mahavir Singh Phogat
and his two successful daughters Geeta and Babita who are known for their many
successful feats in the arena of wrestling. The Phogat sisters have their story
of triumphs – Geeta grabbed attention worldwide because she became the first
Indian wrestler to win the Gold Medal in the category of 55 Kg and her younger
sister Babita came into the limelight when she won the Silver Medal in 51 Kg
category at 2010 Commonwealth Games.
What
makes Dangal worth watching is not the achievements of the Phogat sisters
mentored by their father but their journey to reach where they are today and
how they became a reason for a huge paradigm shift for not only the family and
village Balali, Bhiwani district, Haryana they belong but also to many in our
country who belittled girls and their ability to be equally good like boys in any
field they are in.
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Aamir
Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat is not a misogynist as such but he has his own
rigid and traditional patriarchal mindset that makes him long for a son who every
time gets disappointed hearing the birth of a daughter. And in his pursuit of
having a son he ends up fathering four daughters. What is noteworthy here is that
he confides to his wife why he wants a son and not bearing him a son is not her
mistake. He also conveys how much he loves all his daughters. The Haryanvi Tavu
goes through a perceptional transformation when he comes to know that his
daughters thrashed mercilessly two boys in the village for teasing them. That
one incident rewrites the destiny of the two girls. Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh
Phogat in Dangal makes us see the character and not the star in him. He is
truly a perfectionist and it’s difficult to find words to mention his nose in
detailing the character on screen through his acting.
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Dangal
speaks volumes about the power of hard work, discipline, focus and practice to
achieve what one desire in life. It is a beautiful inspirational story that
portrays how people react to change and why it is important to stay determined
on the road towards our goal even if it upsets and challenges the so-called status
quo, traditions and rituals of our family and society. It also highlights the country’s
not so surprising apathy towards sports and women. It is quite disheartening to
find how our country and its governing bodies do so little for the betterment
of sports and the players who represent
our country at various sports events across the globe. We are repeatedly
reminded about the apathy through films like Iqbal, Chak De, Mary Kom, M. S.
Dhoni, Sultan and its likes.
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The
youngsters in the movie are commendable be it Zaira Wasim as young Geeta, Suhani
Bhatnagar as young Babita, Fatima Sana Shaikh as Geeta Phogat and Sanya
Malhotra as Babita Kumari. Zaira and Suhani rules the first half of the
movie by their awesome performances as the young Phogat sisters who curse the
day when they thrashed the boys in the village that led them to the wrestling
bout and rigorous training session conducted by their disciplinarian father.
They both keep the first half humourous by their reluctance and
half-heartedness to become what they don’t want to be. There are moments when
we empathize with them for not having the choice of keeping long tresses, wear
a bindi, dance in wedding celebrations and relish the street foods of their
choice.
Fatima
Sana Shaikh has come a long way from a child actor who won millions of heart as
Bharti daughter of Kamal Hassan in Chachi 420 in 1997 to Dangal’s Gold Medalist
Geeta Phogat. We have also seen her in ‘One 2 Ka 4’, ‘Bittu Boss’, ‘Akaash
Vani’, and as Suman in the TV series ‘Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo’. She is
so convincing in her wrestling bout that it becomes hard to believe that she is
not a wrestler and just an actor. She has been chiseled out so well for the
role, kudos to all who prepared her for this role and hats off to her commitment
to do justice to the character on screen.
Sanya
Malhotra as Babita is a promising actress. She stands out in her role. Her role
as an understanding daughter and a lovable sister has been executed very well. Girish
Kulkarni as Pramod Kadam the national coach who is at loggerheads with Mahavir
plays his part nicely. Ritwik Sahore had made many sixes in his movie Ferrari
Ki Saaari onscreen and now in Dangal as young Omkar the nephew of Mahavir Singh
he completly bolds you by his superb acting. He is cute, smart and funny as the
cousin of the Phogat sisters. The camaraderie of the brother and sisters are
very refreshing and a pleasure to watch.
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Sakshi
Tanwar as Daya Shobha Kaur needs special mention because of the way the home
maker has been portrayed. She speaks in her silence. She is considerate but
accepts change with certain riders. She understands the trauma of her husband
and supports his desire to achieve what he wants to achieve through his
daughters. She also respects and appreciate her daughters’ rights. She is a
wife, mother and also a silent partisan in the whole process of transforming
two girls into icons of national pride.
Nitesh
Tiwari’s Dangal will definitely be remembered as another well-made movie in the
category of sport biopics and will also be noted for its subtle but impressive
way of storytelling without much melodrama. Music and the lyrics of Dangal is
definitely the cherry on the cake. Pritam is on high with his string of success
for almost all the songs he has composed in recent past. He stays true to the
theme of the film. Songs like Haanikarak Bapu, Dhakad, Gilehiriyaan are too
good and lingers in your mind. Pritam this time has brought the year to an end
with some awesome music raising the bar of audience’s expectations higher for
him.
In
short, Dangal is a must watch. Go with your family to celebrate Christmas and
the onset of the New Year watching the rise of women power in the Dangal of a
patriarchal society.
Life Connoisseur Movie Rating: 4.5 /5
Cast: Aamir Khan
(Mahavir Singh Phogat), Sakshi Tanwar (Daya Shobha Kaur), Fatima Sana Shaikh
(Geeta Phogat), Zaira Wasim ( Young Geeta), Sanya Malhotra (Babita Kumari),
Suhani Bhatnagar (Young Babita), Rohit Shankarwar, Vivan Bhatena (Guest Appearance),
Aparshakhti Khurrana (Grown up nephew of Mahavir Singh (Phogat), Girish
Kulkarni (National Coach Pramod Kadam), Ritwik Sahore (Young Omkar Nephew of
Mahavir Singh Phogat)
Genre: Sports
Drama
Director:
Nitesh Tiwari
Producers:
Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Siddharth Roy Kapur
Written by:
Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain, Nikhil Mehharotra
Story
idea: Divya Rao
Based on:
Mahavir Singh Phogat
Music by:
Pritam
Cinematography:
Setu Sriram
Edited by:
Ballu Saluja
Production Company:
Walt Disney Pictures, Aamir Khan Productions, UTV Motion Pictures
Distributors:
Walt Disney Studios, Motion Pictures
Release Date:
23rd December, 2016
Duration:
161 Minutes
Language:
Hindi
