Set primarily in the Indian state of Haryana, principal photography commenced in September 2015 in the neighbouring Punjab. In 2014, Khan had interviewed the Phogat sisters on his talk show Satyamev Jayate, before Tiwari approached him with the script months later, after which Khan became the lead actor and producer. Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra portray the adult versions of the two Phogat sisters, Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar their younger versions, Sakshi Tanwar their mother, and Aparshakti Khurana their cousin, all of them except Tanwar in their film debuts.ĭevelopment on the film began in early 2013 when Tiwari began writing the script. Rao, who came up with the idea of a film on the Phogat family, the film stars Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat, a pehlwani amateur wrestler who trains his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari to become India's first world-class female wrestlers. Based on a story idea by Disney creative member Divya V. Wrestling competition) is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film directed by Nitesh Tiwari, written by Tiwari, Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain and Nikhil Mehrotra, and produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao under Aamir Khan Productions with Siddharth Roy Kapur producing the original Hindi version under the Disney banner and the dubbed local and overseas versions under the UTV Motion Pictures banner. Also, the soft track Gilheriyaan, the Haryanvi rap and hip-hop Haanikarak Bapu and the Dhakaad number, are in perfect tandem with the narrative.Dangal ( transl. Music director Pritam and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya manage an earthy soundtrack with Daler Mehndi’s title track pumping up the adrenaline.
And, the debutants Fatima and Sanya are easily this year’s best finds. Sakshi as his wife, is restrained, yet effective.
The 51-year-old actor should be complimented for experimenting with his roles, unlike his contemporaries who prefer to play safe. An ungainly Aamir (22 kilos heavier) with grey hair is pitch-perfect as the ziddi yet sensitive parent. Most importantly, Dangal scores with its first-rate performances. It is to the film’s credit that though Geeta and Babita’s wins are documented, it still manages to engage the viewer with the wrestling tournaments and bring patriotic emotions to the fore. But, messages on our obsession with the male child (prevalent since the dark ages), myopic stand on bringing up our daughters and the administration’s pathetic disposition towards sports, are loud and clear. Of course, a little bit is lost in translation because of the Haryanvi twang. Director Nitesh Tiwari, along with Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain and Nikhil Mehrotra should be complimented for their tongue-in-cheek quality, peppered with humour and several poignant father-daughter emotions all through. What works wonderfully here is the writing. Since it encapsulates the historic wins of the Phogats, who brought India glory, the film is also bound to inspire more women to seriously consider kushti as a sport.
However, this screen adaptation serves as a recap of their arduous journey and it vigorously recaptures their stubborn father's resolve to make them professional wrestlers against the odds. Dangal Review: In the story department, Dangal offers few surprises because Geeta and Babita's historic wins at the Commonwealth Games and following championships are common knowledge.