Dangal

My love for movies is something which is constant, and I think it’s that perpetual love which made me watch this movie even amidst my prelims way back in 10th grade. To be honest, before watching this movie based on a true story, I had known little of Geeta and Babita Phogat and their accomplishments. My mother, being an Aamir Khan fan, in a blink of an eye somehow convinced me to come and watch this movie with her. And to this date, never have I cried, lived, learnt, and enjoyed more in a theatre before. The rawness of emotions portrayed by the characters involved in the movie is beautiful beyond words. In a small village situated in Haryana, was a relentless father who was on the pursuit of a dream - the dream to win gold for India - something which he couldn’t do during his time as a wrestler. Wishing for a son to fulfil his untouched dream, he is instead blessed with daughters. He subsequently realises that be it a son or a daughter, the journey to win gold in the sport can equally be achievable by both. The film is a beautifully curated biopic on two women wrestlers, and their journey to win gold.

During a time when all girls were expected to do is marry, have children and be stuck in mundane domestic chores, their father instead chose to ensure that his daughters are capable of standing on their own feet. He was harsh, relentless, determined, will-powered in the way he coaches them, despite facing back-lash from the villagers. We do feel the mistrust and hatred the daughters initially feel towards him, but we did get enlightened too when they realise that all the effort he’s putting ultimately will culminate into them having a better future - they start to see beyond his scolding’s and strictness. He pushes them to fight in dangals with boys, saying he won’t always be there with them to help them out of tough situations, but he’ll surely give them the strength and will power to do so. And when Geeta gets selected to the National Sports Academy, we feel the uneasiness and anxiety of her father as she slowly lost her way there - going against everything her father taught her till now. As the song ‘Naina’ plays in the background, we feel his pain. The scene where in she calls him, trying to say sorry but unable to do so - with both of them choked with emotions to even say a word – always brings tears to my eyes, etched into my mind. The night before her final match, all he says to her is she won’t be just fighting for gold, but will be fighting for every girl in India who has a dream like hers, but didn’t have the courage and support to go chase it. I do remember everyone rising to give a standing ovation in the theatre as she wins gold. The proud look on her father’s face is one to remember. He has inspired thousands of girls to take up wrestling in India. All he did was take a leap of faith - having faith in his daughters and his vision.

Chasing a dream is really hard. It never is easy. Having a dream is on one level, but to actually get into achieving it is on another level. The road is always filled with ups and downs, and one is bound to lose their way somewhere in between. But what’s important to realise is that when one is enduring failure, holding on to ones values and beliefs they were taught till now is detrimental at that point. And when everything seems dark, parents are the ones who bring light - holding our hand and helping us get through. What may seem like a harsh exchange of words at that point will ultimately make us see that all they want is for us to become better individuals. They won’t always be there with us, but they do instil strength and confidence - confidence that we are capable of combating anything in life. There are numerous and endless moments in the movie which really moved me deep within. The film sets out various role models and examples, urging the society to change their mentality towards a girl child, and how vital it is to support them in achieving their dreams. There are millions of such dreams that get swayed away due to the lack of encouragement a girl child receives. All it takes is just one person to step out and break stereotypical barriers like Mahavir Singh Phogat did for his daughters. It changed the way women’s wrestling is seen in India. Such is the power of a small, but significant change in ones mind-set, and like he said, ‘Choriya choro se kam hai ke’.