It is a biographical sports drama about Mahavir Singh Phogat & his daughters Geeta Kumari Phogat & Babita Kumari, their journey into the world of wrestling & fulfilling the dream of winning a gold medal for the country to make a much needed strong statement in this patriarchal society. Since this is based on real life story & characters, few cinematic liberties have been taken for the dramatic effect.
MOVIE -
Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan), former national wrestling champion has now given up on his dream of winning a gold & wishing to have a son to fulfil his dream. He gets devastated when the fourth child born is also a girl. The teenage daughters unwillingly go through the fierce training sessions. Consistent mocking in the society & facing a strict father becomes too much for the kids. They try to rebel but eventually are made to realise what they're rebelling against. The pace here is pretty decent & most importantly no songs act as speed-breakers. Humour & emotions are equally balanced throughout the first half filled with terrific wrestling sequences featuring Zaira Wasim playing young Geeta Phogat. She's equally supported by Suhani Bhatnagar (young Babita). Director Nitesh Tiwari has got the detailing right in establishing these characters which instantly connect with the audience.
Post interval, the story moves in a predictable pace with Geeta Phogat moving to the NSA & losing her concentration which ultimately affect her performance as well as her relationship with her father. Again it's the realistic feel captured that keeps the movie going. Also the strong first half helps you stay connected with all the main characters. Though there's little space for humour, Aparshakti Khurrana playing the close-cousin provides enough humour without going overboard. As the pace dips here, it's the powerful performances that elevate every scene & realistically shot wrestling matches are a hoot. The last two matches gives you the edge of the seat feeling.
Similarities with Sultan or even Saala Khadoos which released earlier this year are inevitable. All of them tried to highlight the same elements such as - underdog story, poor coaching, lack of proper support, patriarchal society & a failed sportsman wanting to fulfill his dream again. What separates Dangal from them is the realistic portrayal. While Sultan played to the gallery, Dangal keeps it subtle & of course it does eventually plays to the gallery which I don't want to reveal as the result can be witnessed in the theatre. Dangal hits every right emotions be it patriotism, feminism or father-daughter relationship.
PERFORMANCES -
The true stars are the four girls.
Zaira Wasim played young Geeta Phogat & Suhani Bhatnagar played young Babita have done terrific job. They truly bring life to the two characters. They're part of the majority of the first half & they've handled each scene with amazing conviction.
Fatima Sana Sheikh played older Geeta Phogat & Sanya Malhotra played older Babita give top-notch performance. Just like the younger girls, even they live their characters. I wish there was more of Babita's character or a sequel is a made focusing on her.
Sakshi Tanwar has got limited opportunity but she has done a good job in all the scenes. Girish Kulkarni as the poor coach is first rate.
Aparshakti Khurrana provides ample humour & also the kid playing his younger self. He plays the perfect side-kick.
Finally, the perfectionist. Kudos to Aamir Khan for coming up with yet another restrained mature performance. Definitely one of his best. It's not just about his dedication but the way he balances each scene with all the four girls.
POSITIVES -
1. The story of Mahavir Phogat & his daughters. This demanded to be made into a film & thanks to Aamir Khan for saying yes to this project.
2. The 4 girls are the life of this film.
3. Entire training episodes in both first & second half.
4. Wrestling matches in the first half with boys.
5. Aamir Khan vs Fatima Sana Sheikh face off in the second half.
6. Phone sequence.
7. Semi Final & Final matches in the second half.
NEGATIVES -
1. Predictable which results in pace dropping in the second half.
2. Songs don't yield the expected impact. Though not a huge problem, one does expect better music in an event film.
MY RATING - 4/5
FINAL WORDS - Shabhash !
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