The greatest sports films of all time, as I said before, are not necessarily about the sports themselves. Rather, they are about a bigger game.
And, as 'Dangal' proves, the game between what can be done and what needs to be done to win the game.
Nitesh Tiwari's marvellous new film is the rousing real-life story of Mahavir Singh Phogat and his near-suicidal bid to achieve glory minted in real gold. He himself had done it once in his young and muscled days but harsh reality set in- when his gold medal won him only fame and not enough of a livelihood, forcing him to settle for a mundane existence in his village.
His eyes are still aflame with the desperate desire to see his preferably alpha-male offspring win another medal that will make not only him but the whole country proud. But fortune plays its own game with Pogat- instead of being handed a slew of tough-limbed sons, he is given four daughters, for whom he has all the love and care, but not enough of hope to make all his gold-tinted dreams come true.
And then, one morning, just when he has closed shut his trunk of hopes and aspirations, a miracle happens. And 'Dangal' begins to soar to the skies, as Phogat realizes, literally, that gold is gold, irrespective of gender or other considerations.
Initially, this prelude plays out like a delightfully amusing yet no less astute version of Shyam Benegal and Vishal Bharadwaj, with Tiwari and his utterly dedicated crew peppering the gorgeously textured rural flavour with sparkling wit and wordplay that astounds. Not only is there an authentically lived-in feel of an all-too-believable world of dung-coated walls and dimly lit family dinners- from the little daughters Geeta and Babita playing snakes and ladders to women blushing at impromptu wrestling bouts in offices populated by men- but the well-crafted aesthetic has enough quirk- a timid husband who repeats his wife's every word, phrase for phrase, a scruffy boy idling instead of fixing a TV antenna and a wizened old-timer who advises Phogat to try to conceive a son only on a Sunday. It is these deft and pitch-perfect touches that make the buildup so particularly convincingly and compellingly real.
It is when the real drama begins that we find ourselves sticking close with the characters. We are bemused when Phogat insists that his daughters, both of whom had the bravado to beat up boys who abused them, should give up all their interests and aspirations as girls and instead train hard as boys for fights in the mud pits. We cringe when he goes beyond restraint, even subjecting his daughters to the jeers and insults of a pigheaded world around them. And yet, we are dazzled and spellbound when Geeta and Babita take it all in their stride- the leg locks, the tall glasses of creamy milk and the toil and sweat on their way to glory.
As a rousing tale of rise from bare origins to a starry-eyed victory, 'Dangal' strays away from the standard cinematic template by offering a barrage of impressive, intriguing insights that lend the often-dramatic tale a very solid heft of intelligent realism. For one thing, this is the first time that we see sporting in India as something that is evolved from a grassroots-level of improvised training and support. When Phogat does not have the sufficient funds to buy even 'mats' for his girls, he instead settles for beddings and mattresses to teach them the basics of international contests.When his old methods are questioned by one of his older wards, it is his determination that persists- as he openly mouths scorn at new-age methods and sizes up his daughters in a bid to tell her how it is done.
As he himself puts it, medallists are not grown on trees but rather have to be nurtured and nourished for greatness and the film gets that truism right brilliantly.
The bigger challenge at the heart of the tale is one of a collective mindset and it is when Tiwari and co-writers take it on is where the real beauty of 'Dangal' is unveiled. Phogat's relatives and neighbours laugh off his foolhardy determination. And why wouldn't they?; after all, aren't girls supposed to stay only indoors and for chores rather than duke it out in the heat and dust? Little by little, however, we see their incredulity turn to resounding faith and the director captures this crucial moment with absolute storytelling confidence. In Geeta's first breakthrough as a wrestler, there are all-male crowds sniggering at the little girl as she sizes up an ideal contender for her on the pit. Yet, it is after she has made her mark all too clearly on the dazed crowds that they are willing to admit that her male opponents will fall flat.
Yet, for all the weighty subtext- of traditional training pitted against modern-day methods and of digs at the country's collective laissez-faire approach to winning only medals instead of glory- 'Dangal' really scores when it brings out the brawn to match its buzzing brain. The superbly muscular narrative is brilliantly paced and switches perspective mid-way, contrasting Phogat's hell-bent paternalistic determination with Geeta being temporarily seduced by the irresistible glamour of forging her own way to success. There are real emotional stakes here while the wrestling scenes are themselves absorbing and spectacular. Tiwari and cinematographer Setu Shriram sneak up and close to the players as they engage in meticulously sculpted scuffles that are thankfully left to unravel rather than be cut short by convenience. Pritam's normally ribald, rustic soundtrack is hushed in the pivotal climactic scenes too as the film tugs us right into the titular standoffs with terse tension. It is a sports film soiled with real mud rather than masala.
Masala does come in odd helpings in the form of the film's all-too-obvious villain- the limelight-hogging coach Pramod Kadam, played by Girish Kulkarni. The actor, who shone as the rude Bombay cop in 'Ugly', embodies his Machiavellian character with a shred of dignity but even as he results in a slightly odd contrivance in the edge-of-the-seat climax, the way how Tiwari tosses it around is something to be seen to be believed.
But then, everyone in 'Dangal' keeps things so darn real.
Aamir Khan plays Phogat, who transforms from being rugged and muscular to rotund and thick of waist, and delivers a nuanced and utterly dedicated performance that sears and stuns with intelligence and emotional ferocity. This is the actor at his best, playing his character's inexorable determination with seething fury but also making it less heroic and extremely gritty and real.
The way he gazes mercilessly with his icy eyes at his weeping daughters while a barber chops off their lice-ridden locks is as devastatingly powerful as him gingerly pressing their feet at night and laying down an aphorism for ages.
This is a performance of almost De Niro-like pinnacle of commitment and the actor knocks it spectacularly out of the park.
Equally powerful against him are stellar newbies Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra playing Geeta and Babita with real spirit and spunk, while Sakshi Tanwar, as Phogat's empathetic wife, steals every scene in which she attempts to gauge her husband's intentions. Special mention should go to the delightful Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar playing the younger, doe-eyed versions of the film's heroines with a wonderful lack of self-consciousness while Aparshakti Khurrana, as the wily cousin Omkara, is a find. Tiwari and his team hand this impeccable cast a chunk of incredible dialogue phrased beautifully and poetically in credible Haryanvi that is never overplayed for effect. Even the subtitles are inspired- at one point, Sehwag and Dravid are referred to as 'tiger' and 'elephant' respectively.
Is 'Dangal' the finest Bollywood sports film ever? The answer could lie in the fact that, by the end, you will feel that you have lived through the game of life itself.
My Rating- 5 Stars.
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