Dangal Movie Review: Aamir and his girls pack a thunderous punch to give a powerful message about girl power

The magic of movies is all about the passion of living dreams. And there are only a handful of artistes as committed to the craft as Aamir Khan. There's something so sincere about his efforts that you forgo multiple flaws. His latest offering Dangal is no masterpiece. It is far from flawless, it has a well-known, oft-repeated story and its technique and template are both similar to Shah Rukh Khan starrer Chak De India, but where it fares phenomenally is the writing department. With a tight screenplay in tow, Dangal soars. It isn't jaw dropping but it lives up to the fervour of its theme and the promise of its trailer. By the rulebook, it is a classic sports film with an eye for detail and a good measure of technique thrown into the poignant emotional drama about a stubborn father who lives his lifelong dream, and his daughters . There are sermons about gender balance, a generous dose of patriotism but what really drives this film is wrestling. To all who were worried about how similar Dangal is to Sultan, Aamir knows his game far better than that. He wouldn't repeat himself, forget repeating another actor. Orchestrated in a real set up, Dangal is rustic and robust, unleashing the infallible energies of two unbeatable girls who train to pummel hard enough to earn dignity in another sport besidew the revered cricket. It is even more difficult for women, more so if they belong to a more patriarchal pocket of the country. Aamir chooses a worthy story of a father who makes a difference to the thinking of his small town.

After Mahavir's wife fails to deliver a son, he leaves aside his dream to create a home grown pehelwan. His daughters are far from the dainty pictures, they are meant to be. After they pummel a few boys to pulp, Mahavir begins training them for the sport. The child actors Suhani and Zaira are lovely. The latter specifically is more cued into the craft while the other charms with her innocence. Director Nitesh Tiwari dedicates the entire first half to the little girls, reeling under the pressure of their over ambitious father's expectations of them. They wobble, fall but never have the heart to give up. They eventually rise to the occasion and prove their mettle and merit. Fatima and Sanya lend their raw energies to glue together every element of the story. They are top notch and Tiwari brings out the right emotions from them. They compete, battle, bicker, squabble but their eye on winning gold never goes. 

You can't help but be impressed by Tiwari's astute choice of milieu, which genuinely feels authentic. But an equal amount of credit belongs to Aamir, who has the knack of breaking the shackles of mainstream Bollywood. This story like many of his previous ones, could probably only be made due to his vision. On one hand, he creates stars of novices, use familiar faces to fill parts worthy of their caliber (an effective Sakshi Tanwar) and on the other hand, he never lets it seem like a vanity project. The story is his but the  spotlight is never on him. As the impatient, impeccable Haryanvi speaking, middle aged Jatt wrestler, who lost his chance to live his dreams, he is fantastic. It won't be a stretch to say that he is Aamir Khan for a reason and his films are a class apart because he invests more than just time on his work. There is visibly enough discipline, vision and more than anything, a lot of heart spent on it.

But here, as we applaud a cinematic celebration of the Phogats, we must bow down to the spirit of Mahavir Phogat for daring to put himself through thr ridicule of his village folks when he announced that his girls will make men bite the dust. For someone who came from a largely patriarchal, may we say, even chauvinistic world, it was a risk that could've gone grossly wrong. But he had a dream to win big for his country and a vision for his girls, whom he never gave up on even when they lost faith on themselves. Yes, it is the best film all year. The best one we will see in a long time. That's a given from Khan, right? But this is his most noble work till date. Yes, he is ballsy to play his age, flaunt a potbelly proudly, lose a wrestling match to his on screen daughter and do things other superstars would never dare to risk but for this one, he wins love for subtly putting across the point that girls can win the world. Give them a chance. To him and the Phogats, Dangal is an apt homage to their spirit. All you must want for Christmas is to watch this movie. This one is to cherish and for the keeps.

We rate it an 85% on the Pinkvilla Movie Meter.