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Dangal is a compelling sports drama about the pursuit of wrestling excellence—and an uneasy portrait of how that pursuit is imposed. Nitesh Tiwari’s 2016 Hindi film makes training and competition gripping, while leaving Mahavir Singh Phogat’s authority and his daughters’ own wishes less fully examined.
What is Dangal about?
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Dangal stars Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler determined that his daughters Geeta and Babita will achieve the sporting success he could not. The story follows their training amid social resistance to girls wrestling, then traces the changing relationship between father and daughters as Geeta advances in the sport.
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The film’s central question is not simply whether the girls can win. It is whether Mahavir’s discipline and ambition can help them succeed without diminishing their independence. That tension gives the sporting story its dramatic force—and also marks its limits.
Why the wrestling works
In her review for Scroll.in, published on 22 December 2016, critic Nandini Ramnath describes the film as a chronicle of perseverance and sacrifice, but “above all a tribute to obsession.” The film establishes that drive from the outset: Mahavir is not training his daughters casually, but pursuing a medal for India.
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#1 Best Overall
Ramnath’s strongest praise is for the way the film makes that pursuit physical. Training is rigorous, and the wrestling sequences feel credible and exciting rather than like brief interludes between family scenes. The full-length treatment of Geeta’s important matches gives the competition room to build tension. Ramnath compares its sporting action favorably with the wrestling and training in the 2016 films Saala Khadoos and Sultan; that is her assessment, not an objective ranking.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Performances and the father-daughter conflict
Khan makes Mahavir compelling without reducing him to a simple villain or an uncomplicated hero. Ramnath calls his performance nuanced, and the character’s conviction helps explain why the daughters’ progress can feel both inspiring and troubling. Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar, playing the younger Geeta and Babita, are particular strengths in Ramnath’s review. Fatima Sana Shaikh plays Geeta and Sanya Malhotra plays Babita as adults.
The film’s most interesting contradiction is also its chief weakness. Dangal celebrates girls entering and succeeding in a male-dominated sport, yet often accepts the authoritarian father who drives that success. Ramnath argues that the conflict could have explored Geeta’s journey more deeply, but gives too little time to Mahavir’s thoughts. The daughters’ agency and the personal cost of his methods consequently remain less developed than the physical demands of wrestling.
That imbalance matters: the film can be rousing as a story of athletic achievement without fully answering whether the achievement belongs to the daughters on their own terms. Its patriotic framing makes the goal legible, but does not resolve the family’s questions of control and choice.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 8.5GB OR 240-MINUTE CAPACITY: Each single-sided DVD+R DL disc stores up to 8.5GB or approximately four hours of video—twice the capacity of a standard DVD+R disc.
- UP TO 8X WRITE SPEED: Supports recording speeds up to 8X for reliable performance with compatible DVD+R DL writers and duplicators.
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- 50-PACK SPINDLE: Includes 50 Verbatim LifeSeries DVD+R DL discs and a Limited Lifetime Warranty.
Rank #4
Film details and runtime
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Director | Nitesh Tiwari |
| Lead role | Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat |
| India release | 23 December 2016, according to Aamir Khan Productions |
| Runtime | 169 minutes on the Aamir Khan Productions film page; 161 minutes on the Apple TV US listing and Disney D23 reference entry. Listings differ. |
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