Review of Dangal (2016) by User C — 27 Dec 2016
After Lagaan and Chak De India, another sports movie that captures the soul of "Indian" sports -- warts and all -- while following all the tropes of blockbuster underdog sports movies. While the villain in Dangal was the centerpiece of Chak De India, a low-paid government coach in a thankless job, the two movies work as a brilliant double-feature.
Fans of Bollywood will appreciate the delicious off-screen rivalry between the leads, Shahrukh and Aamir respectively, which ultimately gave us one of their most transformed performances ever. Dangal wins with a healthy dose of earthy humor sprinkled on tough scenes, and focus on set-pieces rather than melodrama to tell the tale of "girl like you in a place like this".
While unlikely to change long held patriarchy and apathy in sports, and unlikely to spur robust interest in wrestling, Dangal is an important milestone for good film-making and perhaps glimmering hope of creating a sports culture in India.
Great work, Mr.Tiwari!
This review of Dangal (2016) was written by User C on 27 Dec 2016.
Dangal has generally received very positive reviews.
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