Dangal (2016)

Dangal (English: Wrestling competition) is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film directed by Nitesh Tiwari. It stars Aamir Khanas Mahavir Singh Phogat,^[5][6] who taught wrestling to his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari.^[7][8][9] The former is India's first female wrestler to win at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, where she won the gold medal (55 kg). Her sister Babita Kumari won the silver (51 kg). "Dangal" is the Hinditerm for "a wrestling competition".

The music for Dangal was composed by Pritam, while the lyrics were written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Kripa Shankar Bishnoi, a coach with the Indian women's wrestling team, trained Aamir Khan and the entire crew for the wrestling sequences.^[10]

Released worldwide on 23 December 2016,^[11] Dangal was declared tax-free in five Indian states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chattisgarh, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh — to promote Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, a Government of India's social campaign aiming to reduce selective abortion of females, to protect girls, and to educate them.^{[12][13][14][15][16][17]} At the 62nd Filmfare Awards, Dangal won four awards, including Best Film, Best Director(Tiwari), Best Action (Shyam) and Best Actor (Khan).^[18]

Dangal emerged as the highest grossing Hindi film domestically,^[19] and the second highest grossing Indian film of all time with the worldwide gross of ₹741.08 crore (US$110 million).

Mahavir Singh Phogat is an amateur wrestler who was forced to give up wrestling in order to obtain gainful employment. He was unable to win a gold medal for India and vows that his son will. He is disappointed when his wife gives birth to four daughters. He gives up his dream thinking that girls cannot wrestle and should only be taught household chores. But when his older daughters, Geeta and Babita, come home after beating up two boys in response to derogatory comments, Mahavir realises his daughters have the potential to become wrestlers.

Mahavir begins coaching Geeta and Babita in wrestling. His methods seem harsh, including grueling early morning workouts and short haircuts to avoid lice. Initially, the girls resent their father for his treatment but they soon realise that their father wants them to have a future and not grow up to be stereotypical housewives. The girls become motivated and willingly participate in Mahavir's coaching. Mahavir takes the girls to wrestling tournaments. Geeta and Babita both wrestle with boys and beat them, much to everyone's dismay. Geeta eventually wins the Junior Internationals and goes to an institute in Patiala for further training so she can participate in the Commonwealth Games.

Geeta makes friends at the institute and begins to disregard the discipline she has been brought up with. She regularly watches TV, eats street food, and grows her hair longer. Her coach's training differs significantly from her father's techniques. Geeta believes her coach's techniques are better and that Mahavir's techniques are outdated. On a visit home, she is determined to show her father she can wrestle well without his techniques. This leads to a ferocious bout between Geeta and Mahavir. Mahavir loses against Geeta due to his age. Babita tells Geeta that she shouldn't forget her father's techniques and reminds her that it is because of their father that she is where she is now.

Babita soon follows Geeta to the institute. Geeta finds herself losing every match as she is not following her father's techniques or she is not fully focused on wrestling (painting her nails and growing her hair long). Realising her error, she tearfully makes peace with Mahavir. Mahavir comes to the institute and begins coaching Geeta and Babita, using the same methods as when they were younger. Their coach is furious with Mahavir's interference and wants to expel them both from the institution, but a deal is struck to allow them to continue as long as Mahavir does not enter the institution or train them elsewhere. Determined to continue assisting his daughters, Mahavir obtains tapes of Geeta's previous unsuccessful bouts and coaches her by pointing out her errors over the phone.

During Geeta's bouts in the Commonwealth Games, Mahavir constantly contradicts her coach's instructions while sitting in the audience. Geeta disregards her coach and follows her father's instructions and wins every bout. Just before the final bout, Geeta's jealous coach conspires to lock Mahavir in a closet far away from the arena. Despite her father's absence, Geeta manages to win the final bout and becomes the first Indian female wrestler to win gold. Mahavir returns just in time to embrace his daughters, frustrating the coach's hopes of obtaining credit before the news media.

The end credits reveal that Babita also won gold in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Geeta became the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for the Olympics and Mahavir's efforts inspired dozens of Indian women to participate in wrestling.