Dangal is a wrestling movie based on the lives of Mahavir Phogat and his daughters, it captures their journey to success. Mahavir is most known as an amateur wrestler from Haryana, India, who coached his daughter, Geeta, to become the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for the Olympics. Check out the trailer below!
The Story Behind the Story
I had initially heard about Dangal because of the famous Bollywood actor Aamir Khan's training program. Aamir is an actor who is known for his dedication to his films and this movie is evidence of that. A lot of bodybuilders took interest in his transformation which created more hype for the film. Aamir Khan's plan was to get overweight for his older years in the film and then drop his body fat drastically for when he needed to look fit again. It was a remarkable transformation that Aamir Khan went through and he managed to do it within five months.
Dangal
Dangal is about accomplishing one's dreams despite the plethora of obstacles in one's path.
It grapples the issue that still plagues us today, gender stereotypes. What does it mean to be a man, what does it mean to be a woman? It also tackles the issue of women's wrestling in rural India. Before Geeta and Babita, the daughters of the Mahavir Phogat which is Aamir Khan's character, it was unheard of for women in their village to compete in wrestling.
Mahavir Phogat was an incredible wrestler who gave up his dream of getting a gold for financial reasons. To continue his wrestling journey, he makes it his goal to train his daughters to compete and win a gold medal. Despite everyone's lack of support Mahavir continues to train his daughters not letting anything or anyone deter him. The two girls continue to improve and begin to compete in competitions.
The Film
The story is told chronologically and it does a good job capturing the relationship between a father and his daughters and how he tries to become their coach, straining their relationship. The film’s dramatic scenes keep your interest throughout the wrestling journey.
The performance of the actors felt sincere as their training shined through on-screen. All their practice learning wrestling moves and technique really helped those who are less familiar with the sport really understand what was going on as the matches unfolded. I also liked how the comic relief character was still useful to the film. It's great to see the standard archetypes of screenplay writing are being molded so that the characters aren't flat; this keeps the characters and their interactions unpredictable. One of the biggest pros of Dangal is that it is one of the few movies to have a female lead be without a romantic B-Plot for fan-service.
My Lasting Thoughts on the Film:
It teaches you to not give up on your dreams. It sounds cheesy, which I don't mind because cheese is pretty yummy especially pepper jack, but with the right mindset a chance will come to fulfill your dreams. You have to be ready and charge full force at that chance to claim it just like Mahavir did when he realized that his daughters had the talent for wrestling.
Giving up leads to a guaranteed loss, and taking a chance is just that, a chance at victory. Sure it doesn't mean you are guaranteed a win, but if I was the type to promise, I would promise you that the effort you put into your passion will almost always be better than if you had just given up on it.
There will always be reasons you can't do something: you're not the strongest, you're not the fastest, or the smartest but as long as you try… your attempt is what truly matters. Because when defeat has you pinned to the ground you have to Stand Up! Which is the name of our wrestling film. Make sure you see the trailer, and get involved if it peaks your interest.
Click here: www.reelnationmedia.com/standup
So what do you think about Dangal and its message? Did it leave an impact on you? Tell us why or why not in the comments below.
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Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_7YlGv9u1g&t=7s
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