Dangal
A Review by Cécile Rischmann
In a little village in Bhiwani, Haryana, a sturdy middle-age could-have-been gold medalist, Mahavir (Aamir Khan), obsesses about making his future sons Olympic Wrestling Champions. Only his wife bears him FOUR daughters.
Mahavir packs up his awards and dreams and locks them in a trunk, never to be reopened.
Life continues for the next thirteen years. Mahavir works part-time at a local wrestling ring and rewards promising wrestlers with a coin. His wife keeps the pot boiling, and his daughters grow into beautiful young girls with long hair and ample wear, probably to protect them from the roving eye.
One day, a woman comes over to Mahavir's place to complain about her sons being beaten black and blue. Mahavir, without hesitation, scolds his nephew, thinking he is responsible. His wife, however, points to the culprits. Mahavir startles as his eyes shift on two medium-size kids with their heads bent and their long braids almost touching the floor.
Surely not Geeta and Babita? He wonders, sending the village woman away after reassuring her that it will never happen again. Then he turns to the girls and makes the mistake of asking them how they attacked their victims. Geeta and Babita are only too happy to demonstrate on their cousin, and by the time they are finished with him, the poor boy is crawling out.
Hope rekindles in Mahavir's heart, and despair flies out. He is ready to turn those sweet little darlings into daring robust wrestlers who walk the planet glaring and scaring everyone under the sun.
However, Geeta and Babita are pretty upset to be woken up at dawn to jog, jump, skip, run, and strengthen their slender limbs. They complain about everything and trigger their father so much that he brings in a local barber and has their heads almost shaved! After all, they did say they were collecting lice because of Mahavir's designer manure in the pit! As if that is not enough, he has his nephew's clothes altered for his daughters so that their traditional wear does not hinder their practice sessions.
The angels are not only exhausted, but they are also fed up with Mahavir and his training, so they tamper with the alarm clock and set it behind schedule. Then, when Mahavir finally gets out of bed, the brats sprinkle themselves with water and pretend to be exercising hard. They even secretly attend their best friend's wedding and are dancing to the beat…until Mahavir comes upon them. Geeta and Babita freeze in their dancing pose. Mahavir slams out, disappointed.
Bride Sunita (a 14-year-old girl) advises her friends, citing herself as an example, making them understand that their father wanted their best, unlike hers, who was marrying her off at 14! Geeta and Babita return home revitalised.
Mahavir now has their full attention, and his training becomes more demanding and challenging. He changes their diet to non-vegetarian and promises the Chicken Vendor (Badrul Islam)fame and name in the future if he supplies them at discounted prices.
Geeta and Babita are now 200% invested and work relentlessly until they are ready to compete.
Mahavir pitches Geeta in a competition uniquely male. He faces strong protests from the organisers; however, they finally agree as the fight will draw large audiences. The entire village is present to see the show, and Geeta, very bravely, chooses the most muscular male of the lot. Unafraid of his abs, Geeta repeatedly knocks him down, and the whole village is screaming in excitement. Unfortunately, she loses the match but wins much in prize money than the boy. However, Geeta cannot bear the thought of having lost and urges her father to set up another contest. This time she wrestles like a maniac and defeats not only him but every boy that comes against her.
There's no stopping Geeta and Babita after that as they compete extensively and are impossible to defeat. Mahavir is finally earning respect, and the Chicken Man's posters of the young champions are turning more prominent.
When Geeta is selected for the National Level Wrestling Competition, she must shift to Patiala, Punjab, for further training. The new coach Pramod Kadam has a different approach to the sport that clashes with Mahavir's instructions and training. Geeta gets carried away with the exciting life, makes friends and begins to grow her hair, paint her nails and go shopping.
Her personality turns somewhat arrogant when she returns home. She starts to think that she knows much more than her father and begins to contradict his style. Mahavir challenges Geeta, and Geeta, fired with attitude, doesn't hesitate to knock him down without the slightest concern for his age and health. Babita looks in shock as their poor father struggles to get up and warns Geeta not to lose focus.
When Geeta returns to Patiala, she competes in International matches but loses every one of them. Slowly, she starts to fear. Babita, in the meantime, has also reached the National Level and is competing and winning. When Geeta despairs, Babita encourages her to contact their father, and perhaps he will guide her once again.
Mahavir is only too happy to take over Geeta's training and moves to Patiala with his nephew. By this time, Geeta is told that she must reduce her weight and compete in the light-weight category. Mahavir moves near the NSA Training Centre to help her stay in the 55-kg category. He trains both daughters in their old early-morning routine without disturbing the NSA Training.
One day the girls are spotted in the wee hours of the morning and are taken to task. The coach complains, and the authorities ban the girls from competing. Mahavir pleads with the management and shows them the album he'd made over the years of his daughters' prize money. Much to Mahavir's relief and the Coach's dissatisfaction, they lift the ban, provided Mahavir doesn't interfere.
Intelligent Mahavir finds a way to help Geeta by watching recorded videos of her in international competitions and pointing out her technical flaws.
When Commonwealth Games 2010 is organised in New Delhi, Geeta participates in a 55-kg group, and Mahavir sits in the audience screaming instructions. Geeta disobeys her coach and follows her father's advice and WINS. Geeta gives full credit to her father in a press conference.
The coach turns vindictive and has Mahavir locked in a room during the finals. Geeta fights courageously despite her father's absence, but it is not an easy feat. She seems to be wishing her father was there rapping out instructions. Emily Bensted, the Australian champion, is a formidable opponent, and Geeta is almost despairing. Suddenly, she remembers her father once told her that he cannot always be around, and in a flash, she recalls an instance where she was thrown into the deep swirling waters and challenged to swim or drown. She swam.
Revitalised by her thoughts, Geeta bucks her opponent like a savage bull… lifts her in the air… and throws her down with a thud. In the meantime, Mahavir, who had been struggling for hours trying to get out of the room to watch his daughter's match, is now hearing the Indian National Anthem. He cannot stop smiling as he knows that Geeta has won the feat. Finally, a man unlocks the door, and Mahavir scurries to the stadium, right in time to hug his daughter and say, "Well done."
Aamir Khan never fails to impress with his performance, and he has us teary-eyed and emotional. He doesn't need to dramatise situations and add song, dance and comedy to distract the audience; he weaves all three in his story and makes it seem right to be there. His strict, no-nonsense approach to wrestling is so "authentique" that you wonder if he is a champion wrestler in reality! His striking physical transformation from a fit 29-year-old muscle-man to a flabby father of four leaves us in awe. There are so many aspects to discuss that this review would go into pages; however, let's just say that Aamir Khan is the KING OF KHANS!
Talking about Kings, we might have to delve into the women behind their existence. In this case, Phogat's wife Shobha (Sakshi Tanwar). She is the silent sufferer of her husband's dogged efforts to turn two dainty daughters into powerful wrestlers. Tolerant and understanding, Shobha propels her husband gently, rebukes silently, and supports fiercely.
Young Geeta (Zaira Wasim) and Young Babita (Suhani Bhatnagar) entertain us and keep us laughing time and again. Their cousin, Omkar (Anmol Charan), is their punching bag, and we almost feel sorry for the boy as the girls toss and throw him like a sack of potatoes. His expression when Aamir teaches some complicated moves to his daughters and his "run-for-life" when they turn to him for a demo keeps us in splits. All three youngsters give us a performance laced with comedy.
Elder Geeta (Fatima Sana Shaikh) is so quick on her feet and supple in her moves that she has us glued to the screen. We feel like we are watching the Commonwealth Games LIVE. How do they manage to train the girl to such a great extent that she has us sitting on the edge of our seats holding our breath until we see her knock her rivals down?
Elder Babita (Sanya Malhotra) has an equally mesmerising presence and leaves us breathless too.
Dangal, in my opinion, is one of Aamir Khan's finest movies so far. Congratulation to the team. They deserve the credit for bringing forth a meaningful film that provokes thought, raises questions and renders hope.
In a little village in Bhiwani, Haryana, a sturdy middle-age could-have-been gold medalist, Mahavir (Aamir Khan), obsesses about making his future sons Olympic Wrestling Champions. Only his wife bears him FOUR daughters.
Mahavir packs up his awards and dreams and locks them in a trunk, never to be reopened.
Life continues for the next thirteen years. Mahavir works part-time at a local wrestling ring and rewards promising wrestlers with a coin. His wife keeps the pot boiling, and his daughters grow into beautiful young girls with long hair and ample wear, probably to protect them from the roving eye.
One day, a woman comes over to Mahavir's place to complain about her sons being beaten black and blue. Mahavir, without hesitation, scolds his nephew, thinking he is responsible. His wife, however, points to the culprits. Mahavir startles as his eyes shift on two medium-size kids with their heads bent and their long braids almost touching the floor.
Surely not Geeta and Babita? He wonders, sending the village woman away after reassuring her that it will never happen again. Then he turns to the girls and makes the mistake of asking them how they attacked their victims. Geeta and Babita are only too happy to demonstrate on their cousin, and by the time they are finished with him, the poor boy is crawling out.
Hope rekindles in Mahavir's heart, and despair flies out. He is ready to turn those sweet little darlings into daring robust wrestlers who walk the planet glaring and scaring everyone under the sun.
However, Geeta and Babita are pretty upset to be woken up at dawn to jog, jump, skip, run, and strengthen their slender limbs. They complain about everything and trigger their father so much that he brings in a local barber and has their heads almost shaved! After all, they did say they were collecting lice because of Mahavir's designer manure in the pit! As if that is not enough, he has his nephew's clothes altered for his daughters so that their traditional wear does not hinder their practice sessions.
The angels are not only exhausted, but they are also fed up with Mahavir and his training, so they tamper with the alarm clock and set it behind schedule. Then, when Mahavir finally gets out of bed, the brats sprinkle themselves with water and pretend to be exercising hard. They even secretly attend their best friend's wedding and are dancing to the beat…until Mahavir comes upon them. Geeta and Babita freeze in their dancing pose. Mahavir slams out, disappointed.
Bride Sunita (a 14-year-old girl) advises her friends, citing herself as an example, making them understand that their father wanted their best, unlike hers, who was marrying her off at 14! Geeta and Babita return home revitalised.
Mahavir now has their full attention, and his training becomes more demanding and challenging. He changes their diet to non-vegetarian and promises the Chicken Vendor (Badrul Islam)fame and name in the future if he supplies them at discounted prices.
Geeta and Babita are now 200% invested and work relentlessly until they are ready to compete.
Mahavir pitches Geeta in a competition uniquely male. He faces strong protests from the organisers; however, they finally agree as the fight will draw large audiences. The entire village is present to see the show, and Geeta, very bravely, chooses the most muscular male of the lot. Unafraid of his abs, Geeta repeatedly knocks him down, and the whole village is screaming in excitement. Unfortunately, she loses the match but wins much in prize money than the boy. However, Geeta cannot bear the thought of having lost and urges her father to set up another contest. This time she wrestles like a maniac and defeats not only him but every boy that comes against her.
There's no stopping Geeta and Babita after that as they compete extensively and are impossible to defeat. Mahavir is finally earning respect, and the Chicken Man's posters of the young champions are turning more prominent.
When Geeta is selected for the National Level Wrestling Competition, she must shift to Patiala, Punjab, for further training. The new coach Pramod Kadam has a different approach to the sport that clashes with Mahavir's instructions and training. Geeta gets carried away with the exciting life, makes friends and begins to grow her hair, paint her nails and go shopping.
Her personality turns somewhat arrogant when she returns home. She starts to think that she knows much more than her father and begins to contradict his style. Mahavir challenges Geeta, and Geeta, fired with attitude, doesn't hesitate to knock him down without the slightest concern for his age and health. Babita looks in shock as their poor father struggles to get up and warns Geeta not to lose focus.
When Geeta returns to Patiala, she competes in International matches but loses every one of them. Slowly, she starts to fear. Babita, in the meantime, has also reached the National Level and is competing and winning. When Geeta despairs, Babita encourages her to contact their father, and perhaps he will guide her once again.
Mahavir is only too happy to take over Geeta's training and moves to Patiala with his nephew. By this time, Geeta is told that she must reduce her weight and compete in the light-weight category. Mahavir moves near the NSA Training Centre to help her stay in the 55-kg category. He trains both daughters in their old early-morning routine without disturbing the NSA Training.
One day the girls are spotted in the wee hours of the morning and are taken to task. The coach complains, and the authorities ban the girls from competing. Mahavir pleads with the management and shows them the album he'd made over the years of his daughters' prize money. Much to Mahavir's relief and the Coach's dissatisfaction, they lift the ban, provided Mahavir doesn't interfere.
Intelligent Mahavir finds a way to help Geeta by watching recorded videos of her in international competitions and pointing out her technical flaws.
When Commonwealth Games 2010 is organised in New Delhi, Geeta participates in a 55-kg group, and Mahavir sits in the audience screaming instructions. Geeta disobeys her coach and follows her father's advice and WINS. Geeta gives full credit to her father in a press conference.
The coach turns vindictive and has Mahavir locked in a room during the finals. Geeta fights courageously despite her father's absence, but it is not an easy feat. She seems to be wishing her father was there rapping out instructions. Emily Bensted, the Australian champion, is a formidable opponent, and Geeta is almost despairing. Suddenly, she remembers her father once told her that he cannot always be around, and in a flash, she recalls an instance where she was thrown into the deep swirling waters and challenged to swim or drown. She swam.
Revitalised by her thoughts, Geeta bucks her opponent like a savage bull… lifts her in the air… and throws her down with a thud. In the meantime, Mahavir, who had been struggling for hours trying to get out of the room to watch his daughter's match, is now hearing the Indian National Anthem. He cannot stop smiling as he knows that Geeta has won the feat. Finally, a man unlocks the door, and Mahavir scurries to the stadium, right in time to hug his daughter and say, "Well done."
Aamir Khan never fails to impress with his performance, and he has us teary-eyed and emotional. He doesn't need to dramatise situations and add song, dance and comedy to distract the audience; he weaves all three in his story and makes it seem right to be there. His strict, no-nonsense approach to wrestling is so "authentique" that you wonder if he is a champion wrestler in reality! His striking physical transformation from a fit 29-year-old muscle-man to a flabby father of four leaves us in awe. There are so many aspects to discuss that this review would go into pages; however, let's just say that Aamir Khan is the KING OF KHANS!
Talking about Kings, we might have to delve into the women behind their existence. In this case, Phogat's wife Shobha (Sakshi Tanwar). She is the silent sufferer of her husband's dogged efforts to turn two dainty daughters into powerful wrestlers. Tolerant and understanding, Shobha propels her husband gently, rebukes silently, and supports fiercely.
Young Geeta (Zaira Wasim) and Young Babita (Suhani Bhatnagar) entertain us and keep us laughing time and again. Their cousin, Omkar (Anmol Charan), is their punching bag, and we almost feel sorry for the boy as the girls toss and throw him like a sack of potatoes. His expression when Aamir teaches some complicated moves to his daughters and his "run-for-life" when they turn to him for a demo keeps us in splits. All three youngsters give us a performance laced with comedy.
Elder Geeta (Fatima Sana Shaikh) is so quick on her feet and supple in her moves that she has us glued to the screen. We feel like we are watching the Commonwealth Games LIVE. How do they manage to train the girl to such a great extent that she has us sitting on the edge of our seats holding our breath until we see her knock her rivals down?
Elder Babita (Sanya Malhotra) has an equally mesmerising presence and leaves us breathless too.
Dangal, in my opinion, is one of Aamir Khan's finest movies so far. Congratulation to the team. They deserve the credit for bringing forth a meaningful film that provokes thought, raises questions and renders hope.
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