That’s more than you can say for “Dangal, ” a one-trick domestic sports drama that drags on for two hours and 40 minutes. “Lagaan, ” which was close to four hours, earned every minute of its running time, but “Dangal” is just a thin inspirational tale stretched out well past the point that U.S. audiences will have much patience for it.
It’s based on the true story of Mahavir Singh Phogat, an amateur wrestler who lived for the proud dream of seeing his country take home athletic “gold.” Due to a lack of government sports funding, Mahavir wasn’t able to go for the gold himself . So he took his two eldest daughters, Geeta and Babita, and turned them into competitive wrestlers, cutting against the grain of what Indian society wanted and expected girls to be.