Dangal (2016) Movie Review

Dir: Nitesh Tiwari

Starring: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sheikh, Zaira Wasim,Sanya Malhotra, Suhani Bhatnagar

Dur: 2 hrs 30 mins

Rating: 9.5/10

It’s been quite a while since I have been to a theatre to watch a film and Dangal, without doubt rates as the best film I have seen in theatre in the past year. It would perhaps even be the best Bollywood film I have seen in a long time. Everything about it is fantastic. It stands far above Sultan in terms of story as well as performance. Even wrestling is given a better show in this film.

Dangal (which translates as Wrestle) is the story of Mahavir Singh (Aamir Khan) of Haryana. Although the focus ought to be Geeta (Fatima Sheikh plays the older Geeta while Zaira Wasim plays the young Geeta) his super-achieving daughter, the story for me is about him and his mad passion to bring glory to India through sport. Now this is a rare passion but it permeates the storyline and becomes the spirit of the film.

The story is incredibly well written and portrayed. It’s not a movie about sport like many other of its ilk. It is rather a story of India and this is what sparkles when one watches the film and perhaps what ought to attract everyone to watching this fine film. Besides it’s a film about the girl-child. From beginning to end it’s all about girl power and how our Indian girls are being subjugated into second class when they really have the capability of taking the nation higher.

The film’s inspirational slant lies in the fact that the heroes come from obscurity and poverty but through hard work, perseverance and determination, they achieve the unimaginable. Support is perhaps the diciest word in the film and Geeta makes no qualms to confess that her pillar of support is her father and the NSA (National Sports Academy) with its coaches, staff and directors are mere credit-takers and no-gooders. Perhaps the sports authorities of the country will take offense at the way they are portrayed but it seems pretty fair to the viewer as the sports authorities have little or nothing to show that they behave any different than the characters on the screen. The plight of sportsmen and sportswomen in India is public knowledge and despite the publicity little or nothing is being done about it. Keeping all this in the background, Dangal has come at an appropriate time. The nation is still glorying the achievement of an Olympic medal besides a few other international titles. Ironically, majority of them have been won by women. Dangal thus becomes a tribute to the achieving girls while at the same time remaining a motivational force for many more.

The acting is top class. Sound tracks are pleasant and the story is impeccable. Geeta is made the focus although Babita, Geeta’s sister, is also given a bit of attention. Needless to say, Aamir is the one to look out for. The film is a must watch for every Indian. It asks us what are we doing to make our country proud and inspires us to get into action if we aren’t already.