Review of Dangal (2016) by Angela Z — 16 Nov 2018

The film Dangal, starring Aamir Khan, is based on a true story in countryside India. The father was once a successful wrestler but was forced to give up his dream due to financial straits. He hopes that his sons could fulfill his dream but he only has four daughters.

However, he discovers the striking talents of wrestling in his two daughters by accident. Then the father trains the daughters strictly and finally they become champions. The inspirational scenes of wrestling in the movie are so amazing that they arouse strong passion among audience.

When watching the final scene in which Geeta defeats her opponent in the final round and the national anthem starts for her championship, I got moved because their father's dream is finally fulfilled after various frustrations and Geeta eventually becomes a successful woman with self value, which is contrasted with the traditional female images in India.

She experienced a harsh childhood. Her strong ambition as well as masculine appearance always couldn't be understood by people with traditional Hindustani mind. She is also torn between the hardline approaches of her father and the theory-oriented approach by her coach and fell into confusion after she attends the sports academy.

But at the time that she wins in the international competition and the national flag rises for her, we could see that fortunately, all her hard work pays off. The status of women in athletic field gains recognition.

And that exciting moment also marked that the deep-rooted stereotype that women are destined to depend on their husband could be alleviate in Indian people's mind. The film emphasizes nationalism and feminism.

The patriarchal father definitely loves their daughters deeply, which could be revealed in the wedding scene. In countryside Indian society, women usually don't have any right to fulfill their own dreams, but Geeta's father firmly allows their daughters to challenge the tradition.

He believes that his daughters are so excellent that they shouldn't be chosen by men in marriage. Furthermore, I want to say that the actors in the film are all extremely devoted. I hear from the news that Aamir Khan changes his posture rapidly during the shoot of the film in order to fit the appearance of the father in different periods.

Also, the wrestling scenes performed by the daughters are amazing. They remind me of the fighting scenes in Deewar(1975) in which Vijay fights against the villains in a warehouse. Both of them succeed in shocking the audience and the win of the protagonist could push the plot into climax.

Compared to earlier melodramatic Bollywood films, Dangal appears to be authentic and convincing. This inspirational story of how women from Indian countryside win wrestling champion step by step could inspire audience.