Drenched in unflinching commitment to realistic portrayal Dangal makes no effort to grab your eyeballs. Instead it just executes and waits for your silent jaw dropped applause.
In the spirit of other sports movies in India before it be it Chak de ( the story pulsates throughout the movie ) and the more commercial Sultan and I was told also Saala khaddoos , Dangal has to work hard to break the story stereo typing and emerge more impressive.
Riding high on the task of battling social restrictions and a bias that stares at women in some parts of the country it is more an important film making a statement for emancipation of women and release them into a highly competitive uncharacteristic vocation and driving the spike into the ground to establish the possibility and its resounding success.
I did feel a sense of already knowing what was in store by watching the teasers which gave more than a fair sneak into the storyline but the utterly realistic portrayal by the four girls and the man of the moment himself Aamir makes up for any dissatisfaction that may arise from lack of major wow moments
The relationships between the characters have been painfully etched and that makes up for most of the story making them compelling persona in the minds of the viewers. Turning his lack of joy over having no male kids the wrestler is obsessed with training his girls much to the consternation of the society in a field which is more difficult than shocking due to the physical nature of the sports. But the girls simply roll over all hinderances with born ease and sizzle their way to international fame.
The controversial elements of how the sports bodies actually work are glossed over with surprising lack of detail and a slip into melodramatic speech by the father and the authorities turning emotional which is a far cry from how it must have happened
But you desperately want to overlook and instead cheer the girls to international victory
The fights are simple outstanding and never have I seen more realistic action and one can only
imagine the extent of efforts that must have gone into the shoot. Be it Aamir's own efforts making his 50 year body look like a 25 year olds without any prosthetic help and then casually turn into an aging fathers pot bellied visage or the little girls who train and turn into the young adult stars in wrestling , applause is a must.
Specially look out for the duel between the father and the daughter at one point . The scene rates as one of the finest in recent times bringing out a heady mix of emotion , physical battle, making a statement and bonding.
It may not surprise you with any wow moments and only leave you impressed only with the expert cast but the films deserves the standing cheers that it gets at the end simply for its trail blazing contribution to give the girls and women of our country their rightful place in society
It will be surprising if the movie does not bring a change in society in a small way
The background score is expectedly suitable ( Pritam) and the dull sets irk you a bit as also the Rajnikant stunt like lapses of frozen and slow mo action which is absolutely unnecessary
Aamir and his cast deserve your attention if you have not already been to the box office
***1/2
