I walked out of the theatre feeling inspired after seeing Dangal. Inspired, and excited for the future of the Indian film industry because I felt as if I had just seen a film that would be considered highly influential and significant for years to come. I truly believe that this film is a huge step forward for not just the industry, but for India as a whole. I am also amazed at how Aamir Khan continues to reinvent himself with every film and has raised the bar yet again with his role as the main character. Dangal accurately depicts the daily struggles of oppressed women in India and how they are viewed in certain parts of the country, especially when they participate in activities considered outside of the norm, such as wrestling. With Dangal, director Nitesh Tiwari has created a landmark film that is able to tackle serious social issues within India, while presenting them in a way that is also commercially appealing and accessible for all audiences.
Dangal portrays the real-life story of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan) and how he trains his two daughters, Geeta Phogat (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babita Kumari (Sanya Malhotra) in the art of wrestling, eventually molding them into international-level champions. Coming from Balali, a village in Haryana, India, Mahavir has an immense passion for wrestling, but due to his financial situation he is unable to pursue his dream of becoming a champion on a global level. Eventually his wife, Daya Kaur (Sakshi Tanwar), gives birth to four daughters, two of them being Geeta and Babita. At this point, Mahavir is hopeful that his daughters will fulfill his lifelong dream and bring home gold for his country. Determined, Mahavir begins training them at an early age in the hopes they will be able to reach the highest level of empowerment and emancipation, while setting an example for oppressed women all across the country. This decision to train them in wrestling is, for the most part, met negatively in their village where the patriarchy (characterized by early marriages for women, an adherence to household roles, and a lack of rights) is prevalent. Many of these issues and conservative opinions are still prevalent to this day in various parts of not just India, but around the world, and Tiwari does a fantastic job of addressing them in Dangal.
Nearly every part of this film is incredibly well executed, from the performances, the shots, and the background score, to the soundtrack. The songs are presented and sequenced in just the right places to evoke certain emotions from the audience. With most Indian films nowadays, there appears to be an overabundance of mediocre songs embedded within the film soundtracks that have little to do with the story or are just there for promotional purposes, which usually end up being detrimental to the pacing of the film or even the film as a whole. However, this is not the case with Dangal, as it is quite refreshing to see that the soundtrack in this film contains empowering, meaningful, and thought-provoking tracks, which actually help to propel the story even further by complementing the characters and their daily struggles quite well.
With Dangal, Aamir Khan has given perhaps the greatest performance of his career and has solidified his status as the most consistent actor in Indian cinema. He continues to prove that he has an innate ability to completely transform himself in order to inhabit a certain type of character, while constantly pushing the boundaries of Indian cinema with his performances and film choices. There are a number of other highlight performances throughout this film as well. Both performances of Geeta translate well onto the screen, from Zaira Wasim’s performance as a young, inquisitive, and strong-minded Geeta, who develops a desire to win and prove that women are not inferior to men, to Fatima Sana Shaikh’s performance as an adult Geeta who has fallen victim to a lack of discipline and is on the quest for redemption and greatness. Both actresses perform their roles with just the right amount of intensity and conviction and genuinely seem like experienced wrestlers on screen, despite not having any experience in wrestling prior to this film.
Part of the magic behind Dangal is how it just flows seamlessly, without ever feeling bloated or overlong and that is attributed to the way the film is almost masterfully edited. No shot or scene feels forced, contrived, or unnecessary and the film itself is nearly three hours in length, but it never felt as if it was that long after watching it. The editing and the pacing of this film combined with the depths of the characters and the intensity of certain scenes are what make this film a fascinating experience. It is also, without a doubt, the best film in 2016.
