Ultimately, Dangal is effective because it’s so thrilling to watch. Not only do the family scenes ring true, but Tiwari approaches the wrestling sequences with intelligence and sensitivity.
There’s sweat and dirt, to be expected. But instead of blood, bruises and machismo we see a lightning-fast match of wits and technique over brawn, enhanced by convincing performances from the film’s athletic young stars. Special mention goes to Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar as the young Geeta and Babita, respectively; Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra as the adult Geeta and Babita; TV actress Sakshi Tanwar as Singh’s wife and Girish Kulkarni as a demanding National Sports Academy coach at odds with Singh’s old-fashioned training techniques.
Khan — a notorious perfectionist who reportedly gained and lost over 50 pounds for his role — turns in a moving performance in a complex and not-always-sympathetic role. As the girls’ coach, he forces them to wake up at 5 a.m. for a grueling daily training regimen, and when they complain, he responds by cutting off their hair — yet as a devoted father to daughters in a male-dominated society, he is fiercely protective, his displays of affection and pride that much more meaningful for their rarity.
For Tiwari and Khan ( also credited as a producer) , Dangal presents an indictment of a wide range of India’s ills, from its toothless national sports federation, peopled by indolent bureaucrats with neither the time nor the inclination to support the obscure sport of women’s wrestling, to the closed mindset of its small towns.
Dangal’s most pointed barbs, though, are aimed at the status of women in rural India. Singh’s home state of Haryana is known as one of India’s most backward in terms of gender equality — with a female literacy rate of just 60 percent and an abysmal record for female feticide, Haryana seems like the last place one would imagine to spawn feminist female athletes.
In a scene that takes place at a friend’s wedding, Geeta and Babita complain to the 14-year-old bride that their father is too strict and trains them too relentlessly. “I wish my father was like yours, ” their friend says softly. “I’m going to cook and clean for a man I’ve never met. At least yours is preparing you for your future.”
Production company: Aamir Khan Productions
Distribution: UTV Motion Pictures
Cast: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Zaira Wasim, and Suhani Bhatnagar
Director: Nitesh Tiwari
Screenwriters: Nitesh Tiwari, Shreyas Jain, Piyush Gupta, and Nikhil Mehrotra
Producers: Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, and Siddharth Roy Kapur
Executive producer: Alan McAlex
Director of photography: Sethu Sriram
Production designers: Laxmi Keluskar and Sandeep Meher
Editor: Ballu Saluja
Music: Pritam Chakraborty
In Hindi