Dangal movie review: If Aamir Khan had not green-lit Dangal, it would never have been made. However, that is not to say that Dangal belong... 01:00

Dangal movie review: If Aamir Khan had not green-lit Dangal, it would never have been made. However, that is not to say that Dangal belongs to the actor alone. Solid performances all around make it the big film of 2016.


Dangal motion picture cast: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Sheik, Sanya Malhotra, Aparshakti Khurrana, Vivan Bhatena 


Dangal motion picture executive: Nitesh Tiwari


Dangal rating: Three stars

There comes a period when a star offers into the requests of a part which he knows will make him not-beautiful: as a wannabe wrestler past his prime, Aamir Khan is squat, with a substantial stomach, a consider stride, and a grizzled facial hair. Just his sticking ears are natural: whatever remains of him is immaculate character.

We will need to quantify Aamir Khan's future exhibitions with this one: as Mahavir Singh Phogat, fizzled wrestler, unpleasant slashed however minding spouse and father of four young ladies, he scales it up to a point where you can see the star interpretation of a character, attempt it for size, and make it his own.

We will need to quantify Aamir Khan's future exhibitions with this one: as Mahavir Singh Phogat, fizzled wrestler, unpleasant slashed however minding spouse and father of four young ladies, he scales it up to a point where you can see the star interpretation of a character, attempt it for size, and make it his own.

Dangal works on the twin parameters it sets up for itself. One is the straight-forward film about a popular sport and those who play it: we feel and smell the ‘mitti’ of the ‘akhara’, the ‘daanv-pench’ (moves) that truly skilled wrestlers use to face down formidable foes. We see the blood, sweat and tears that go into the making of champions.


The other is a strong feminist statement about girls being the equal of boys, if not better, in an area they’ve never been seen, let alone accepted. When Mahavir steps into that tricky arena, he is derided and ridiculed: so are his young female charges, as well as their mother (Sakshi Tanwar) who could not bear sons.


The grizzled wrestler has to work his way to believing in his daughters, and in the fact that his ‘chhoris’ are no less than ‘chhoras’. It echoes the belief the real-life Phogat showed in his girls, as they went on to win medals and prizes in national and international arenas (gold and silver medals in Commonwealth games, Olympic qualifier).

The actors who play the young Geeta and Babita do a competent job of turning into eager combatants from young-girls-who-just-want-to-have-fun. And both Shaikh and Malhotra carry it forward, especially when they spend a lot of the second half on the mat, learning how to lose, and, above all, to win.


You know how this will end. There are times when the film feels flat, and gets into repetitive loops. Those are times you feel like it should have been tighter. But you end up being impressed by the authenticity of the milieu, both in the sporting arena, as well as the domestic one: the girls jousting for that precious medal are not just going through the motions—they are fighting.