Dangal

Dangal is an extraordinary true story based on the life of Mahavir Singh and his two daughters, Geeta and Babita Phogat. The film traces the inspirational journey of a father who trains his daughters to become world class wrestlers.

I really enjoyed this sports film with Aamir Khan showing his commitment by gaining 66 pounds for a total of 216 in order to play the role. Superb acting all round and a sport I was unfamiliar with added to our interest.

Most compelling of all was the way this movie hit the expected sports film/coming of age beats with unexpected twists. The girls are being forced to live their father's dream but his dreams also are for his country's honor. Beyond that his tough methods become a celebration of women's abilities and talents (twist!) — this in a country where often women are seen as nothing more than a burden to marry off to an unknown man for a life of domesticity.

By the end, we'd traveled Geeta's path with her — learning to appreciate her father's wisdom and her own hard won skills. We were also exhausted — the wrestling sequences were so vivid that we were worn out.

I especially loved the moment when Geeta is watching DDLJ with her new teammates. I myself don't love this movie but know it is a quintessential Hindi film. The moment shows so much about what Geeta has been missing and what she will gain from this time of her life. (And also, in a very small way, how much Indians connect through their favorite films, which I just heard discussed in the Movie Wala Podcast episode about Monsoon Wedding.) Of course, what Geeta is experiencing is far from her father's path and we also see the results of a different way.

It is, of course, a story celebrating women, but that point became even more vivid when I read this in a review.

What's very significant is that Mahavir's family hail from a village in the state of Haryana. Due to female foeticide, Haryana has the lowest female-to-male child ratio in India. This film was actually allowed tax-free status in a number of Indian states, including Haryana, as part of the Indian government's campaign against female foeticide. And from what I can tell, the true facts of the Phogat family's life were twisted a bit in the film to support this agenda - reportedly, in reality Mahavir was not disappointed that all the children born in his family were female.

As the reviewer mentions, the real coach's story is even more amazing. For one thing, all of his four daughters and his two nieces (taken in when his brother died) became respected, medalling wrestlers. This story obviously had special resonance in India but it applies worldwide on a variety of levels, as witnessed by the fact that it is in China's top 20 top grossing films. It is India's top grossing film in foreign markets - it's a universal story.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)