Dangal – “a wrestling competition”, is a biographical sports drama directed by Nitish Tiwari in 2016. The film’s story is an extraordinary, truly inspirational journey of a father (Mahavir Singh Phogat) who trains his daughters (Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat) to become world-class wrestlers. Aamir Khan the most popular and influential actor of Indian Cinema is in the lead role of Mahavir Singh Phogat. This film revolves around Mahavir Singh Phogat’s dream of winning a gold medal for his country, which later his daughters fulfills by winning the first gold medal for India in Common Wealth Games 2015. In this Biography of Geeta Phogat, they showed how Mahavir Singh defies all odds and various societal pressures and trains his daughters for wrestling. This movie is declared as the All-time Blockbuster by box office in India not just for the fact that it’s the highest-grossing film in India and Overseas but, also because this movie gives out a strong feminist message. Dangal is a true picture of the real-life struggle and achievements of female sportswomen of India.
Dangal worked on the two parameters it had set up for itself and did total justice to both. One was a straightforward film about a popular sport and those who play it. We saw the blood, sweat and tears that go into the making of champions. The movie was dramatic but real when it comes to the challenges and training the athletes have to undergo. The other was a strong feminist statement about girls being equal to boys, if not better, in an area, they have never been seen like Wrestling, let alone accepted. This movie is a contrast to regular wrestling history in India, thus breaking the taboo of Indian women participating in sports this far dominated by men. Through this movie, they showcased the struggle and challenges that they had to face as a family when they started the journey.
This movie is a recap of Geeta and Babita Phogat’s extreme journey in wrestling. Moreover, it also vigorously recaptures their stubborn father’s resolution to make them professional wrestlers against the odds. Mahavir Singh Phogat who himself wanted to get gold for India but had to give up his own dreams for other family obligations. However, his dream never died and so, when he saw potential in his daughters made up his mind to train them. Amir Khan did total justice to the role and his complete focus and hard work were one of the reasons why this movie proved itself completely. Amir Khan is known for doing movies that have a big impact on the public. Within and beyond the film industry, Khan is an activist and humanitarian and has participated and spoken out for various social causes. He has a significant following in India and China and has been honored by the Government of India with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan some of the highest civilian awards in India. His agreeing to do this movie was due to the fact that it was an honor for him to portray Mahavir Singh Phogat father of some women athletes who not only brought fame and glory to India but also were an example to many.
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Watching this movie one can’t stop being impressed by the authenticity of a person’s social environment both in the sporting arena, as well as domestic household. This movie also has a message for society’s obsession with the male child (prevalent since the dark ages)in India and myopic stand on bringing up our daughters and the administration’s pathetic disposition towards sports are loud and clear. Through this movie its proven, on the contrary, that one can stand up on bringing up daughters equally as sons. Those girls competing for that precious medal were not just going through the motions- they were fighting. The story of the Phogat family shows how we as a nation should work towards women Empowerment and treating girls equally. Phogat sisters were the first-ever Indian woman wrestlers to have qualified for the Olympics and won Gold and Silver for their nation.
This movie is my favorite 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. Overall, this is an inspiring movie especially for girls who have special talents but due to their family restrictions, they are not able to fulfill their dreams. However, this was not the first time girls have played Olympics from India or have won medals for the country, but these sisters belonged to some orthodox village and community who then did not appreciate girls wrestling. For this fact, the sisters became a trendsetter for many unprivileged. The biography’s main idea was to send a message out to the public not to underestimate the capabilities of women in India. If given proper freedom and exposure they can achieve anything and can even do the impossible.
References
- Dangal – IMDB
- Dangal – Wikipedia
- Dangal is too good to waste on a word about nationalism – Firstpost
- Dangal | Bollywood Hungama
- Latest News on Dangal (film) | Times of India
- Wife of Dhruvika Babita Phogat, wrestler, jobs as wrestler on compassionate grounds | The Hindu
- Why Aamir Khan is India’s google god
