Dangal punches the power of wrestling all the way. In foreground, it is the immaculately choreographed wrestling bouts on mud and synthetic surfaces. In background, it’s the small yet substantive bouts crafted with finesse. Aamir Khan, the performer wrestles with the intelligent showman in him. As Mahavir Singh Phogat, he wrestles with family and society, constantly driven by his unflagging passion for the sport. Young Geeta and Babita wrestle with their doting father’s rigorous and unbending ways of coaching. A loving mother who wrestles to be the bridge of support between them. The pick of all – an ageing father wrestles on mud with his adult daughter and internally with his stiff pride. The list is virtually endless.

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak heralded the arrival of a young Aamir Khan with all the ingredients of a Bollywood protagonist for the romance genre. He hit the ball out of the park and so did the film thirty years ago. Between then and Dangal, is a career arc dotted with varying degrees of trials, triumph and maturity. Aamir is the pivot in the film, and as he drops anchor he doesn’t fail to provide enough gravity for the supporting cast to perform in tandem. Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar as the young Geeta and Babita are nothing short of incredible. Sakshi Tanwar as the mother excels in playing the role with conviction as the character comes to age. Cinematography and Score breathe life into the script and provide adequate depth and dimension for it to echo in your minds as you walk out of the hall. Screenplay is top notch to make the wrestling scenes not look like late-night TV replay of Commonwealth Games.

Three aspects seem to subtly scream at you as flaws or rather eyesores. A) For the first quarter of an hour, Aamir Khan as the young Mahavir Singh Phogat doesn’t seem to align with the cinematic context of the script or the proceedings. It seemed an international wrestling star or celebrity was visiting the small Haryana town and not a son of the soil. Either art department or post-prod could have come to the rescue to make him blend with the surroundings. B) The scissors in Editor’s hands could have been more effective. At close to three hours, it felt a tad bit long for contemporary cinema. C) While the characterization of Geeta Phogat transformed very well from young to adult, that of Babita Phogat seemed to be patchy and disconnected.

You will watch it if you are Aamir Khan fan. You should watch it if you are fan of Indian cinema. You must watch it if you are seeking inspiration whatsoever phase of life you are in. Dangal is a perfectionist’s platter – it doesn’t fail to have the tear in your eyes roll down as you wrestle with emotions to contain it.

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