Mahavir Singh Phogat (played by Aamir Khan) lives in a small village in Haryana with his wife Daya (Sakshi Tanwar). Once a passionate wrestler, Mahavir had to give up the sport to get a job and support his family. But his love for wrestling never waned. Deep down, he dreams that one day his son will make the country proud by winning a gold medal for India in wrestling.
Time passes, but instead of sons, Mahavir becomes the father of four daughters. Initially, he feels that his dream will never come true. But everything changes when he realizes that his daughters have the strength and passion required for wrestling. Despite facing criticism and social pressure from the village and even his family, he decides to train them himself.
Unlike most Bollywood films that focus solely on cricket, Dangal explores the world of wrestling. Long ago, actors like Dara Singh brought wrestling to the big screen, but over time, such films became rare. Due to the success of films like Chak De India, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Mary Kom and Paan Singh Tomar, filmmakers again started focusing on diverse sports stories. This shift also led to popular wrestling-based films like Sultan.
Then came Dangal, a true story that stands out not just as a wrestling film but also as an inspiring biopic. It is about struggle, belief, discipline and the journey of a father and his daughters who break stereotypes and pursue their dreams against all odds.
The trailer of Dangal touched the hearts of the people, depicting the tough training, emotional sacrifices and strong bonds within the Phogat family. The film promises a powerful story of real champions who did not give up, even when the world doubted them.
About Dangal Movie
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Nitesh Tiwari |
| Written by | Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain, Nikhil Mehrotra |
| Story by | Curation: Nitesh TiwariConcept: Divya V. Rao |
| Produced by | Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Siddharth Roy Kapur |
| Starring | Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Zaira Wasim, Sanya Malhotra, Suhani Bhatnagar, Aparshakti Khurana |
| Narrated by | Aparshakti Khurana |
| Cinematography | Satyajit Pande (Setu) |
| Edited by | Ballu Saluja |
| Music by | Pritam |
| Production Companies | Aamir Khan Productions, Walt Disney Pictures India |
| Distributed by | UTV Motion Pictures |
| Release Dates | 21 December 2016 (United States), 23 December 2016 (India) |
| Running Time | 161 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Dangal Box Office Collection Worldwide
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Worldwide Estimated Gross | ₹2024 crore – ₹2200 crore |
| Global Record | Highest-grossing Hindi film worldwide |
| International Rank (Non-English Films) | 34th highest-grossing non-English film globally |
| Global Rank (Sports Films) | 19th highest-grossing sports film worldwide |
| China Box Office | |
|---|---|
| Release Date | May 5, 2017 |
| Achievement | Highest-grossing Indian film in China |
| Total Earnings in China | Over ₹1300 crore |
| Global Recognition | One of China’s top 20 highest-grossing foreign films |
| Category | Amount (₹) |
|---|---|
| Net Collection (India) | ₹387.39 crore |
| Gross Collection (India) | ₹538.04 crore |
| Production Budget | ₹70 crore |
| Profit from India | ₹297.39 crore |
Dangal Cast & Crew
| Actor/Actress | Role |
|---|---|
| Aamir Khan | Mahavir Singh Phogat |
| Sakshi Tanwar | Daya Shobha Kaur – Mahavir’s wife |
| Fatima Sana Shaikh | Geeta Phogat – Mahavir’s eldest daughter |
| Zaira Wasim | Child Geeta |
| Sanya Malhotra | Babita Kumari – Mahavir’s second daughter |
| Suhani Bhatnagar | Child Babita |
| Aparshakti Khurana | Omkar Singh Phogat – Rajpal’s son; Mahavir’s nephew |
| Ritvik Sahore | Teenage Omkar |
| Ananya Sharma | Child Ritu Phogat – Mahavir’s third daughter |
| Lakshita Goyal | Child Sangeeta Phogat – Mahavir’s youngest daughter |
| Girish Kulkarni | Pramod Kadam – Coach at the National Sports Academy |
| Vivan Bhatena | Harkinder – Mahavir’s colleague |
| Shishir Sharma | Head of Department – National Sports Academy |
| Meenu Prajapati | Jasmeet – Geeta’s friend at the National Sports Academy |
| Badrul Islam | Shamim – Owner of meat shop |
| Karmveer Choudhary | Maan Singh Phogat – Mahavir’s father |
| Anurag Arora | Rajpal Singh Phogat – Mahavir’s brother; Omkar’s father |
Plot
Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan) was a local wrestler who trained in the wrestling style and won national medals. He lived in Balali, Haryana. Like many Indian fathers, he had to quit wrestling and take up a regular job to earn money. He always wanted to win a gold medal for India in the Olympics, but he never got the chance. He blamed the lack of support for wrestling in India.
Wrestling gave him respect but not a steady income. One day at work, he watched the Olympics on TV and saw that India was doing poorly in wrestling. A new man in the office, Vivaan Bhatena, made fun of the sport and challenged Mahavir to a wrestling match. Mahavir easily defeated him. He also worked at a local gym in the evenings and was still skilled at wrestling.
When his wife, Daya Shobha Kaur (Sakshi Tanwar), gave birth to four daughters – Geeta, Babita, Ritu and Sangeeta – Mahavir gave up his dream. He believed that only a son could win a gold medal in wrestling. He packed up all his medals and equipment. Years later, a neighbor complained that Geeta and Babita had beaten his sons.
Mahavir was surprised and proud when he found out that the girls were also making lewd comments. He realized that his daughters had the same passion as him. He said, “Gold is gold, whether a girl wins or a boy.” He asked Daya to give him a year to train the girls. Her training was rigorous – early morning exercises, short haircuts and no oily or spicy food. Initially, the girls hated this routine and used tricks to avoid training. But at a cousin’s wedding, he realized that his father was trying to give him a better future.
When the local gymnasium refused to train girls, Mahavir built a wrestling pit at home. He used his nephew Omkar as a sparring partner and started cooking chicken with him to boost the girls’ strength. Geeta and Babita started winning local matches and even fought boys in village tournaments, much to everyone’s surprise. As they continued to win, Mahavir quit his job to train them full-time.
Geeta won big at the state and national levels and joined the National Sports Academy in Patiala. There, she transformed herself – watching films, eating junk food and following her new coach’s methods. She even beat Mahavir in a friendly match, which saddened him. But Babita reminded her of all the things her father had done. Geeta realized her mistake and made peace with Mahavir. He helped her train over the phone using match videos. Geeta followed her father’s training and won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Even though her coach tried to keep Mahavir away, Geeta trusted her father and made the country proud. Later, Babita also won gold, and many girls joined wrestling because of Mahavir’s journey.
The ‘Glitz’ Factor
The film keeps you hooked right from the start with its simple and strong storytelling. The emotions are portrayed at the right time and in the right way. The humour in the film is also good, which makes it fun to watch. Many films have some great scenes, but Dangal is full of great moments from start to finish.
The dialogues sound natural and match the scenes perfectly. Setu’s camera work is excellent and enhances the story. It is also nice to see Haryana portrayed in such a strong and positive way, which we don’t see often in Hindi films. The songs also help in telling the story. Tracks like Dangal, Honeykarak Bapu, Dhaakad and Gilehariyan fit the film well. The song Naina brings deep emotion to the scenes. The background score also adds power to the film.
Director Nitesh Tiwari has done a very good job with the actors. He tells the story simply and realistically, and you can feel every emotion. The wrestling scenes and training parts are fun to watch and full of energy. The bond between the father and daughters is one of the best parts of the film. Aamir Khan gives his best performance, and his look in the film suits the role very well.
Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar are beautiful and impressive as the younger versions of Geeta and Babita. Their wrestling scenes feel real and strong. Fatima Sana Sheikh works very well as the grown-up Geeta and shines in the match scenes. Sanya Malhotra also works well as Babita, especially in the emotional scenes. Sakshi Tanwar supports the story well, although her role could have had more depth. Aparshakti Khurana is likeable and his voice adds charm. Girish Kulkarni fits his character well and gives a good performance.
The ‘Non-Glitz’ Factor
The story of this film is based on the real-life journey of wrestling champions Mahavir Singh Phogat, Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari. Because of this, the story seems a bit easy to guess. The training scenes, especially the transition from mud wrestling to mat wrestling, were shown very quickly and simply.
Many Indian wrestlers find it difficult to transition from mud wrestling to mat wrestling, but the film does not show this struggle in detail. The final scene with Aamir Khan’s character seemed too dramatic for no strong reason. That part felt like a typical Bollywood scene and did not match the actual tone of the film.
The way they added the national anthem could have been done better. A small message or note could have helped the audience understand it and avoid any disrespect. People who liked Sultan may find some of the scenes a bit repetitive, but those parts are small and do not distract from the main story.
Climax and Resolutio
Geeta’s Journey
Geeta wins a small wrestling match in her city and then joins the National Sports Academy (NSA) in Patiala. But all is not well there. Her new coach trains differently from her father, and Geeta starts losing matches. She feels confused, and her relationship with her father starts to weaken.
Rewind
After some time, Geeta realizes that her father’s way of training helped her more. She talks to him again and starts following his methods. With his help, she trains harder and regains her focus and attention. Her confidence increases as she prepares for the big match.
Forward
Geeta participates in the Commonwealth Games and wins a medal. Her sister Babita also wrestles like Geeta and works hard. She also makes her family proud by winning matches. Both the sisters excel in sports and become strong role models.
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