WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The yearning for former glory. It’s a powerful force that digs deep within the hearts, minds, and souls of all those who have achieved greatness, yet seen their ultimate aspirations fall short. Therefore, they potentially seek redemption through others, especially their kin. International wrestling champion Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan) knows fame and victory on the mat, but never accomplished the goal of winning gold for India. Having found no monetary benefit in wrestling, he’s since taken up teaching, supporting his family and still moreso hoping for a son to carry on his wrestling legacy and dreams of gold. This, however, seems even farther away when his four children all end up girls. Yet, little does Mahavir realize, that his dream has already been born.
Discovering in distinct fashion his two eldest daughters, Geeta (Zaira Wasim) and Babita (Suhani Bhatnagar), have natural fighting ability, Mahavir takes it upon himself to teach them wrestling, despite the girls’ and his wife Daya’s (Sakshi Tanwar) reluctance, balking at the hard training regimen he imposes. Facing cultural and societal backlash with this decision to train the girls as well, Mahavir’s persistence pays off and as the girls rise through the amateur ranks by beating boys, the two soon grow into top level competitors, with now teenagers Geeta (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babita (Sanya Malhotra) attending India’s National Training School, overcoming the odds, gaining further inspiration from their father, and showing exemplary skill and drive to win his dream.
Next, my Mind:
With the potent duo of giants, Aamir Khan Productions and Walt Disney Productions, as the supporting foundation, director Nitesh Tiwari’s 150+ minute epic soars incredibly high on a stellar cast, effective, rousing, emotionally charged execution, and its true story-based narrative. Carrying the viewer through the undeniably inspiring tale of girls proving naysayers wrong and one man’s willingness to push the envelope in order that a whole new avenue for women’s sports would then come about while accomplishing his own long sought after objective via his daughters’ accomplishments, the stirring, impassioned film draws you in and never lets you down once, much like this past Summer’s mega-hit wrestling themed effort, “Sultan”. The wrestling sequences alone are a spectacle to witness, a huge credit to this cast and the physical efforts they endured, plus the film also carries a solid mix of humor and drama, making it the total package.
As one would expect, Khan is his usual amazing self portraying Phogat, a man so overtly driven in his competitive days, yet having fallen short in winning the gold for India, had put massive pressure on himself (and his wife!) in desiring to have a son so as to regain prior honor. When at his lowest point, giving up, watching the revelation of skills found in the last place Phogat expected is such a fantastic moment, and Khan’s enacting of this, and the film as a whole, is filled with fire and fervent, intense, sincere determination. Likewise, both incarnations of Geeta & Babita, as played first by the Wasim/Bhatnagar combo followed by the Shaikh/Malhotra twosome, are just simply awesome to watch, as again, the literal physicality displayed by these actresses is nothing short of excellence, helping add to the total sense of realism being delivered. Their fun-loving attitudes supplemented with fierce striving to succeed is wonderfully presented by all.
Wonderful supporting turns from Tanwar as well as Ritwik Sahore, Aparshakti Khurana, and Girish Kulkarni add necessary and entertaining characters here as well. In total, “Dangal”, with its invigorating title song, superbly acted story, inspirational message, and timeless themes of courage, perseverance, and defying the odds makes it one exceptional way to end off what has absolutely been a banner year for Bollywood.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
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