499 reviews
DANGAL is a masterpiece. A terrific film that stays in your heart and remains etched in your memory much after the screening has concluded. A brilliant film that restores your faith in Hindi cinema. Actually, it won't be erroneous to state that DANGAL is the finest film to come out of the Hindi film industry in a long, long time and mark my words, it will be remembered as a classic in times to come. It blends drama, emotions, sportsmanship and patriotism extraordinarily
the icing on the cake being Aamir Khan's towering act. This rich-in-merits film has a major advantage too -- the holidays ahead Christmas and New Year -- which will ensure a glorious run at the ticket counters. A must, must watch!
Let this incredibly sincere biopic wrestle with your emotions, let it grab you around the waist and smash you through a glass ceiling like no other, let it hold you in its arms and flip you around until your head is spinning. A truly inspirational story of a family, of Geeta Phogat and her sister Babita Kumari, of their father Mahavir Singh Phogat, of the incredible journey, adventure and experience they undertake in order to achieve something spectacular and profound. With breathtaking performances all round, this is one film that will leave you in awe of the incredible things people can achieve in the most challenging of circumstances - an absolutely astonishing piece of film making.
Aamir Khan shines in the role of Mahavir Singh Phogat. He is so outstanding in his performance that this could be considered as one of his best works ever. The opening scene of the film is just a glimpse of Phogat's passion for the sport – wrestling. The first half of Dangal works exactly like a skilled wrestler – invariably sure of its moves. The film's second half is all about victory. Mahavir's transformation from the once upset father of a baby girl to the most triumphant one to Geeta's string of losses before she finally wins a gold during Common Wealth Games to desi akhara being replaced by wrestling mat – every moment works in contrast to what you had watched earlier. But not even once does the film loses its focus.
A word here about Mukesh Chhabra's casting: he has done a tremendous job of the casting. Nitesh Tiwari's direction is amazingly terrific. AmitabhBhattacharya's lyrics are great. Pritam's music is in terrific sync with the mood of the drama. 'Dangal dangal' is a very inspiring song and will soon become a rage. 'Dhaakad' and 'Haanikarak' are also very well-tuned. The 'Gilehariyaan' song has terrific charm of a different kind. Amitabh Bhattacharya's lyrics are great. The song writer may pick up some awards for his lyrics. Bosco- Caesar's choreography is very real. Pritam's background music deserves distinction marks. The actors who play the young Geeta and Babita (Zaira Wasim, Suhani Bhatnagar) do a competent job of maintaining the audiences attention. And both Shaikh and Malhotra carry it forward, especially when they spend a lot of the second half on the mat, learning how to lose, and, above all, to win. Since it encapsulates the historic win of the phogats who bought India glory so it is bound to inspire women. Dialogues are absolute gems. Without being overtly long, they are so effective that they invariably touch the heart before reaching the ears. On the whole, Dangal is not just a movie; it is an experience to be cherished. The film is destined to be one of the biggest blockbusters of Indian cinema.As it content oriented so The movie is both for the single screens as well as for the multiplexes and people of all age can watch.so this movie is a must watch. So I Rate it 10 stars out of 10 because I was thinking movie deserves it.I usually don't rate any movie 10 but This movie "HatsOff". Don't Expect a better story than this.Finest piece.Dangal hai yeh.
A word here about Mukesh Chhabra's casting: he has done a tremendous job of the casting. Nitesh Tiwari's direction is amazingly terrific. AmitabhBhattacharya's lyrics are great. Pritam's music is in terrific sync with the mood of the drama. 'Dangal dangal' is a very inspiring song and will soon become a rage. 'Dhaakad' and 'Haanikarak' are also very well-tuned. The 'Gilehariyaan' song has terrific charm of a different kind. Amitabh Bhattacharya's lyrics are great. The song writer may pick up some awards for his lyrics. Bosco- Caesar's choreography is very real. Pritam's background music deserves distinction marks. The actors who play the young Geeta and Babita (Zaira Wasim, Suhani Bhatnagar) do a competent job of maintaining the audiences attention. And both Shaikh and Malhotra carry it forward, especially when they spend a lot of the second half on the mat, learning how to lose, and, above all, to win. Since it encapsulates the historic win of the phogats who bought India glory so it is bound to inspire women. Dialogues are absolute gems. Without being overtly long, they are so effective that they invariably touch the heart before reaching the ears. On the whole, Dangal is not just a movie; it is an experience to be cherished. The film is destined to be one of the biggest blockbusters of Indian cinema.As it content oriented so The movie is both for the single screens as well as for the multiplexes and people of all age can watch.so this movie is a must watch. So I Rate it 10 stars out of 10 because I was thinking movie deserves it.I usually don't rate any movie 10 but This movie "HatsOff". Don't Expect a better story than this.Finest piece.Dangal hai yeh.
- umashankarpati1997
- Dec 22, 2016
- Permalink
I watched this because my son wrestles and I didnt know it was a inspirational but also a tear jerker. Never heard of this movie until our wrestling community here in Ohio talked about it. Definitely one to watch!!
- lykansdonnie
- Jan 22, 2019
- Permalink
I saw this with my family in a theatre. Awesome experience.
Aamir's acting, effort n most importantly his passion is what makes his cinema so damn unique. First thing Dangal has going for it is Aamir khan.
Aamir khan gave arguably the best performance of his career playing Phogat. He is the best actor in bollywood. Period. He shocked me by his transformation. I myself being a gym trainer knows the effort which goes in such kinda transformation. Without Aamir I don't think this movie could have achieved what it has.
The child actors were good too. The music was good. The direction by Tiwari was the best of 2016. This movie was never boring and full credit shud go to the director. The cinematography gave you a feeling as if what you are watching is real.
Overall you don't have to like wrestling or know wrestling to appreciate this movie. Its a wonderful movie. The movie is written very well. Superb screenplay n crispy editing.
- Fella_shibby
- Dec 22, 2016
- Permalink
"Direction was superb and Aamir's performance was excellent. A compelling narrative based on true story with a powerful message for women" My rating- 4.5/5 (Movie of the year and don't miss this flick)
Positives- 1.)Direction and screenplay- Direction and screenplay didn't bore us and we were glued to the seats as it was so engaging and entertaining.
2.)Aamir khan , Zaira (young Geeta), Fathima (geeta) , suhani (young babitha), sanya(babitha) and fathima (mother)- Everyone's performance was excellent. Amir's hardwork and dedication for this role can be seen through his performance. He once again proved to be Mr perfectionist. All girls who acted as daughters were very good and they portrayed their roles without any problems.
3.)Songs and bg score- Special mention for title song. Title song was great and suited the movie well. Hats off to Pritam and he once again proved that he is the best music director of bollywood.
4.) Cinematography and edits- Cinematographer captured wrestling scenes very well and edits of certain scenes were good.
5.)Strong message for women
Negatives- (NO NEGATIVES)
Is it a must watch? Yes!!! and watch it in theaters to get the feel.
Overall- This is the best Christmas treat for everyone from dangal team. This has Aamir Khan's best performance till date. And the major one is that it has strong message for women. Yes its a must watch movie and don't miss this flick!! My rating- 4.5/5 (Movie of the year and don't miss this movie)
For more reviews go to- ridinbal movie reviews. Ridin bal movie reviews has all language movie reviews(Malayalam,English,Telugu,Kannada,Tamil,Arabic,Hindi,Iranian)
Positives- 1.)Direction and screenplay- Direction and screenplay didn't bore us and we were glued to the seats as it was so engaging and entertaining.
2.)Aamir khan , Zaira (young Geeta), Fathima (geeta) , suhani (young babitha), sanya(babitha) and fathima (mother)- Everyone's performance was excellent. Amir's hardwork and dedication for this role can be seen through his performance. He once again proved to be Mr perfectionist. All girls who acted as daughters were very good and they portrayed their roles without any problems.
3.)Songs and bg score- Special mention for title song. Title song was great and suited the movie well. Hats off to Pritam and he once again proved that he is the best music director of bollywood.
4.) Cinematography and edits- Cinematographer captured wrestling scenes very well and edits of certain scenes were good.
5.)Strong message for women
Negatives- (NO NEGATIVES)
Is it a must watch? Yes!!! and watch it in theaters to get the feel.
Overall- This is the best Christmas treat for everyone from dangal team. This has Aamir Khan's best performance till date. And the major one is that it has strong message for women. Yes its a must watch movie and don't miss this flick!! My rating- 4.5/5 (Movie of the year and don't miss this movie)
For more reviews go to- ridinbal movie reviews. Ridin bal movie reviews has all language movie reviews(Malayalam,English,Telugu,Kannada,Tamil,Arabic,Hindi,Iranian)
Just came home after watching the premier show. It really is a masterpiece! A compelling narrative based on a true story. Add stellar acting performances and humor. Pour in cinematography, location, songs & meaningful lyrics. Voila! Everything amazingly fits together in a single string. Truly clean entertainment. In all sense of the word. Worth watching with family. A good movie should entertain. A great movie must connect. And connect, it did. I could almost feel as if I were there, throughout. The plot development is deep, and engaging. Did I mention the child actors, especially the one portraying Geeta? Outstanding performance by all. In a nutshell, my time & resources spent were fully worth. And Aamir Khan! Boy, he never disappoints. =)
- akbar-navid-151-165374
- Dec 21, 2016
- Permalink
It's conceivable that a wrestling movie might have you on the edge of your seat, but who'd have thought it would bring tears to your eyes. Dangal does both in large doses. Right from the opening scenes through to the awesome climax, this is one movie that will keep you glued to the screen. I can't remember the last 3 hour movie (nearly) where absolutely nobody took a toilet break apart from in the intermission.
Everything about the movie is superb from the cinematography through to the script writing. The movie is superbly directed and there are so many stellar acting performances that it would be unfair to single anyone out.
One thing about sports movies is that the action can often seem staged, but the fight sequences in this movie are superbly done and brilliantly filmed.
Everyone knows an AK movie is going to be great, and this definitely doesn't disappoint.
A must watch.
Everything about the movie is superb from the cinematography through to the script writing. The movie is superbly directed and there are so many stellar acting performances that it would be unfair to single anyone out.
One thing about sports movies is that the action can often seem staged, but the fight sequences in this movie are superbly done and brilliantly filmed.
Everyone knows an AK movie is going to be great, and this definitely doesn't disappoint.
A must watch.
- paulsmithson-192-243826
- Dec 22, 2016
- Permalink
Amir Khan a person always amazes everyone,recently he is working for movies with a good moral lesson and a worthy base.That kind of movie is a "movie". Dangal is a good example it has a classic taste and digestible fun which peels off the people eyes. It is a true story full of suspense and when you're watching a fight you feel like you are wrestling in between this kind of quality is difficult to be produced and Amir is good at it. The reason for giving 9 stars is because of its ending I think it should be made better by showing scene like he is putting that medal at the wall of Honor. Anyways keep it up I was expecting this a thing from you. Love you :)
- hassaanbukhary-40684
- Dec 24, 2016
- Permalink
Umm where to start? First of Aamir sir has done it again. He really has a good taste in selecting movies. Not only the acting even the fighting scenes were quite real to me & reel Geeta and Babita were just too awesome. There is certain moments where you're gonna laugh out loud, get anger, get emotional and obviously feel proud the most that's what the movie brings out of itself. I hope this movie brings joy to all family and a chance to look at all daughter's of their's potential.
Should you go for it? Hell yes
Songs are smartly enough and pretty amazing.
Ps. I wished the movie to be a bit longer.
Should you go for it? Hell yes
Songs are smartly enough and pretty amazing.
Ps. I wished the movie to be a bit longer.
- khalid-71691
- Dec 22, 2016
- Permalink
- classicsoncall
- Mar 3, 2018
- Permalink
Story: 9/10 A Very True inspiring story of former wrestler champion Mahavir Singh Phogat whose dream is to win a gold medal for India in wrestling. But he fails to achieve that, then He avow that his son will do it. However, he got disappointed when his wife gives birth to four daughters.
Music: 9/10 Amazing, Very touching background. Greatly Synced Title track will give you goosebumps
Direction: 9/10 Nitesh Tiwari achieved what he wanted, Got a new name, One of the best directors of Bollywood.
Acting: Aamir Khan: 10/10 This time as a father, He will amaze you in every scene. His acting skills are deeply great. Whenever I watch Aamir's movies, I feel his acting. He loves acting and entertaining the world since He came to the Film Industry.
Fatima Sana Shaikh: 9/10 Sometimes I still watch Chachi 420, because I love Kamal Hassan. And Fatima Sana Shaikh was the little girl in Chachi 420. Seriously I have seen her after Chachi 420. And after Dangal she will go so far.
Aamir Khan and the two lead actress are the best cast roles in a long time, but overall cast done an amazing job.
Dangal is humorous and Inspirational Journey.
Music: 9/10 Amazing, Very touching background. Greatly Synced Title track will give you goosebumps
Direction: 9/10 Nitesh Tiwari achieved what he wanted, Got a new name, One of the best directors of Bollywood.
Acting: Aamir Khan: 10/10 This time as a father, He will amaze you in every scene. His acting skills are deeply great. Whenever I watch Aamir's movies, I feel his acting. He loves acting and entertaining the world since He came to the Film Industry.
Fatima Sana Shaikh: 9/10 Sometimes I still watch Chachi 420, because I love Kamal Hassan. And Fatima Sana Shaikh was the little girl in Chachi 420. Seriously I have seen her after Chachi 420. And after Dangal she will go so far.
Aamir Khan and the two lead actress are the best cast roles in a long time, but overall cast done an amazing job.
Dangal is humorous and Inspirational Journey.
- faisalfaves
- Dec 22, 2016
- Permalink
Aamir Khan is back to the big screen after two years. Many people from the industry had been dropping tweets at various times raving the project increasing the whiff of expectations and then came the physical transformation & trailer videos heightening the anticipation. Based on real events and characters, rarely do films excel on all departments propelling them into a league of their own. Dangal is one such achievement.
Cinematographer Setu Sriram needs to be applauded for very consistent and non ambiguous presentation of the subject. The rustic, rural Haryana and the commonwealth games portions are lit in tune with the tone of the film. The wrestling scenes, the angles used to capture them are perfect and the research that has gone into it is clearly visible on the screen. Editor Ballu Saluja has also cut this screenplay perfectly working in tandem with the cinematographer, aids hugely in the neat presentation of this motion picture. Sports films in general, especially ones which are very detailed like Dangal requires clarity to keep the audience engaged and on that count the Editor has done an extraordinary job. Even though the running time was around 2 hours 40 minutes, the all frames and scenes were fully justified with the narrative structure and expertly edited.
The stunt choreography in this movie is noteworthy and one of the best to come out of the country. Kripa Shankar Patel and Shyam Kaushal act has huge pillars for the movie and again the research, detailing of the wrestling sequences and the references from the original footage go a long way in making this the best choreographed sports film from India. Music from Pritam ably supported the film with the theme song being the stand out. The songs were never too long or distracting and the background score underlined the tension and drama of the story. Few moments of silence are noteworthy.
The story based on the life of Mahavir Singh Phogat adapted and written for screen by the team of Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain & Nikhil Meharotra. The sincerity in writing and detailing was evident throughout which has become a rarity in Indian Cinema nowadays and the writing was simple, realistic, effective and highly impactful. The dialogues also stood out as there was no over dramatization attached to it and criticism against institutions were conveyed seamlessly. The rules and technicalities involved in wrestling were explained in depth without being distractive and that keeps the audience glued to the screen. Director Nitesh Tiwari in his third directorial venture has achieved perfection in storytelling and the screenplay was handled like a bullet moving towards the marked target without any distractions whatsoever.
The performances in the movie are some of the best to come out of Indian Cinema in recent times led by Aamir Khan. The believability, the majestic presence and at the same time, feeling of longing, of relentless determination, emotional sincerity he brought to Mahavir Singh is quite extraordinary. The Star always took the back seat making headway for the story and the character. A benchmark indeed. All the physical strains and transformation added immensely to the movie. The two kids playing the younger version of the wrestlers Geetha and Babita looked at ease in their roles as if they had tons of experience. The adult version of the wrestlers played by Fatima Sana Sheik and Sanya Malhotra showcased holistic understanding of the character, emotions. Especially Fathima was extraordinary and the strains, rigorous training undertaken for providing an authentic wrestling performance deserves a standing ovation.
The fact that when the national anthem was played twice (once before the start of the film and again during the movie), the audience were asked to stand during the former yet during the latter, they stood on their own, speaks volumes of the enduring nature of the movie. A monumental achievement for sports based films from India. Dangal is one of the best movies of the year and a must watch with the family. Dangal is Sincere in narration, Perfect in detailing, True in spirit, Patriotic and Inspiring at its core.
Cinematographer Setu Sriram needs to be applauded for very consistent and non ambiguous presentation of the subject. The rustic, rural Haryana and the commonwealth games portions are lit in tune with the tone of the film. The wrestling scenes, the angles used to capture them are perfect and the research that has gone into it is clearly visible on the screen. Editor Ballu Saluja has also cut this screenplay perfectly working in tandem with the cinematographer, aids hugely in the neat presentation of this motion picture. Sports films in general, especially ones which are very detailed like Dangal requires clarity to keep the audience engaged and on that count the Editor has done an extraordinary job. Even though the running time was around 2 hours 40 minutes, the all frames and scenes were fully justified with the narrative structure and expertly edited.
The stunt choreography in this movie is noteworthy and one of the best to come out of the country. Kripa Shankar Patel and Shyam Kaushal act has huge pillars for the movie and again the research, detailing of the wrestling sequences and the references from the original footage go a long way in making this the best choreographed sports film from India. Music from Pritam ably supported the film with the theme song being the stand out. The songs were never too long or distracting and the background score underlined the tension and drama of the story. Few moments of silence are noteworthy.
The story based on the life of Mahavir Singh Phogat adapted and written for screen by the team of Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain & Nikhil Meharotra. The sincerity in writing and detailing was evident throughout which has become a rarity in Indian Cinema nowadays and the writing was simple, realistic, effective and highly impactful. The dialogues also stood out as there was no over dramatization attached to it and criticism against institutions were conveyed seamlessly. The rules and technicalities involved in wrestling were explained in depth without being distractive and that keeps the audience glued to the screen. Director Nitesh Tiwari in his third directorial venture has achieved perfection in storytelling and the screenplay was handled like a bullet moving towards the marked target without any distractions whatsoever.
The performances in the movie are some of the best to come out of Indian Cinema in recent times led by Aamir Khan. The believability, the majestic presence and at the same time, feeling of longing, of relentless determination, emotional sincerity he brought to Mahavir Singh is quite extraordinary. The Star always took the back seat making headway for the story and the character. A benchmark indeed. All the physical strains and transformation added immensely to the movie. The two kids playing the younger version of the wrestlers Geetha and Babita looked at ease in their roles as if they had tons of experience. The adult version of the wrestlers played by Fatima Sana Sheik and Sanya Malhotra showcased holistic understanding of the character, emotions. Especially Fathima was extraordinary and the strains, rigorous training undertaken for providing an authentic wrestling performance deserves a standing ovation.
The fact that when the national anthem was played twice (once before the start of the film and again during the movie), the audience were asked to stand during the former yet during the latter, they stood on their own, speaks volumes of the enduring nature of the movie. A monumental achievement for sports based films from India. Dangal is one of the best movies of the year and a must watch with the family. Dangal is Sincere in narration, Perfect in detailing, True in spirit, Patriotic and Inspiring at its core.
- sriramanadvocate
- Dec 25, 2016
- Permalink
Yes, Indian films are a breed of their own, but ranking the film as high as top 250 all time - better than Vertigo for instance - is pure ridicule.
The drama follows the Rocky saga, after difficulties a winner emerges. There is nothing new to the genre, there is nothing surprising and it is all so predictable from the very beginning. The acting is usual childish Indian - good, but yet the storyline is so thin...
...there a honestly better Indian films (like Wednesday or 3 idiots) where the story line is more unique - and includes better music with the ever beloved Indian dance scenes.
I wish IMDb would introduce a regional voting - keeping these films out of Top 250.
The drama follows the Rocky saga, after difficulties a winner emerges. There is nothing new to the genre, there is nothing surprising and it is all so predictable from the very beginning. The acting is usual childish Indian - good, but yet the storyline is so thin...
...there a honestly better Indian films (like Wednesday or 3 idiots) where the story line is more unique - and includes better music with the ever beloved Indian dance scenes.
I wish IMDb would introduce a regional voting - keeping these films out of Top 250.
Director Mr. Nitesh Tiwari work is so brilliant that after few minutes, you just forget that you are watching film. You simply start witnessing the journey of Phogat's family. Makers are so confident that they have even given credit for story idea to Divya Rao, which reflects their honesty. She is not in writing team but gets her due credit. There are four writers, Director himself, Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain and Nikhil Mehrotra and their work is fantastic. Screenplay is seamless and very balanced with much needed freshness. Film starts with glimpse of Mahavir Singh Phogat's passion for wrestling, while watching and challenging another district level arrogant winner, while commentary comes over on them which is fresh. When that person gets defeated he says 'Tumne district level pehlawan ko haraya hai' Then Mahavir Singh replies ' Tension mat le, tum national level champion se hare ho'. Words may be a bit different but meaning was same. Which gives strong idea that what level of dialogues you are going to listen and they have maintained the graph. Dialogues just nourish your senses, inducing correct emotions. A simple scene where protagonist massages feet of his sleeping daughter, clearly reflects that he is just not a ruthless coach but a caring father too. Girls curse their father in front of their friend who is getting married, then that girl emotional words about her feeling towards their caring father is very cute, emotional and enough to make girls realize that what they are taking for granted. Best part of this film is it's continues ascending graph in every aspect. First half is cute, funny with subtle dose of emotions. Second half takes this graph to the horizon. Full of emotions, either it is of defeat, victory or relations. Another major plus point is the way they have shown wrestling. I dint know a bit of it but I enjoyed all wrestling matches like it was my favorite game and that is major chunk of film. Hats off to the team behind wresting choreography .Though you have basic idea of film happenings but still they kept you engrossed by presentation. Climax comes with a very strong message that one can train you but only you have to implement the techniques, which makes you true winner and enriches self confident. Performance makes you thunderstruck. Words can not justify or compliment, Amir Khan's performance as Mahavir Singh Phogat. Zaira Waseem as younger Geeta is brilliant. She is so good that when Fatima Sana Sheikh takes over as grown up Geeta, you miss younger one but soon Fatima proves that she has taken the graph far ahead. Same happens with younger Babita played by Suhani Bhatnagar and grown up by Sanya Malhotra. Skashi Tanwar as wife of Mahavir Singh is very good. Girish Kulkarni , who had played coach is superb, you do hate his character but love his performance. Actor, who played younger cousin of Geeta and even grown up one, both actors are cute and endearing. Kudos to casting director Mukesh Chhabra and team. Music by Pritam and lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, are integral part of this film. Without any formulated track you just enjoy every song and your eyes get mois in one too.
- dineshprakash
- Dec 21, 2016
- Permalink
Excellent movie. Stellar performance by Aamir Khan. Movie of the year. The girls - kids and the grown ups portrayed their role very well. Special mention should be given to Nitesh Tiwari - the director. Music by Pritam is good. The cinematography is nice. The story telling is superb. Overall very nice movie. Watch this movie for Aamir Khan. Hands down to Aamir. His role as Mahavir Singh Phogat will be marked as one of his best. This film will come as one of the best sports films based on the life of coach after Chak De and Iqbal. I strongly recommend this film. Wish other actors think like how Aamir Khan thinks. He is brilliant actor. That makes him special and perfectionist. My rating 10/10.
- adityapaihy-724-884968
- Dec 21, 2016
- Permalink
excellent work by the whole cast and crew,and as always a work of perfectionist,brought up a good story and something which was buried in past ,a thing which a society doesn't accept,great work on focusing on that aspect,and a moral booster for women's,and a emotional line up for doing something for the country,showing the nation,the struggle of a father ,making that aspect possible,which the society don't even want to think about it,and Mr khan's prismatic performance as an champ wrestler,struggling father and a coach,after all Mr khan's most emotional film and as always a perfectionist as ever,to end a great step to lightened the darker side of the society
- sarkar-64044
- Dec 22, 2016
- Permalink
If I would I've seen this movie in 2016, it certainly would have been in my list of best movies. If you're going to this movie thinking Aamir will be flexing and showcasing his acting prowess then well and good but the girls are the highlight of the movie, hands down. SCRIPT - Major props to bringing out a story which is inspiring and one which India needs right now. The story is kept grounded in reality. No over-the-top gimmicks. The songs blend in very well with the premise. None of the scenes linger on for a long period of time. There was a very natural flow to the story which helped engage the audience for 2 hours and 41 minutes. Even movies like Mary Kom or Bhaag Milkha Bhaag started to drag by the end but hats off to Piyush Gupta and Shreyas Jain. I have said this that dialogue shouldn't seem like dialogue unless it is a musical or a re-imagining of a play. The dialogue in this movie is a lesson as to how dialogue should be used. Little nods and grunts and expressions serve more than an explanatory conversation. I am not a fan of narration and I wasn't really liking it here either. It was fine for the light-hearted scenes but the serious scenes required silence but I can give it a pass. The only scene which felt a bit off is where Mahavir gets locked up in a room before the final fight. If it didn't happen in reality then it was really unnecessary. DIRECTION - Chillar Party was a movie with some serious message but was a little preachy and Bhootnath Returns went full preachy. Nitesh Tiwari toned down that preaching to a very natural level in this movie. Every single topic that has happened or still happens in a family was touched upon. Beginning from the sleaziness of men to child-marriage to the sacrifice parents make, everything was utilised to the advantage of the movie. None of that brought the movie to a halt. The first half of the movie had a good amount of comedy and that gelled into the second half with ease. The thing that many might not notice that there are no pay-off scenes except for the last scene. If the audience reaches a peak before the ending then the pay-off wouldn't have a solid effect, if used multiple times. Pay-off scenes are those scenes where the characters are shown to be doing things in extra slow-motion to have an orgasmic effect on the audience and the director cleverly used it at the end in order to give proper tribute to the art and the character. FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY - This section needed a category of it's own and quite deservedly. I saw Mary Kom, Sultan and Saala Khadoos which had extensive fight scenes and all of the movies had extremely lack-lustre fight scenes. The camera moved too much in order to cover up the actor/actresses' incapability to fight. In comparison to all those movies, here the camera just followed the fighters. No wide-shots of the fight from the audience's perspective because that allows the stunt double to come in. All the fights had the actresses in the scene and hats off to all of them for their dedication. ACTING - Like I said before, the best performance among some amazing performances was of the newcomer Fatima Sana Shaikh. That said, it will really be unjust to name one performance as the best performance because everyone was amazing in this movie. Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Sanya Malhotra, Aparshakti Khurana,Zaira Wasim, Suhani Bhatnagar,Ritwik Shore and Girish Kulkarni gave amazing performances. As Aamir had put on so much weight, that altered his physicality a lot which enhanced his performance to another level. Sakshi Tanwar should be doing more movies. She gave a very subdued and nuanced performance. Sanya Malhotra as the grown up Babita had very few scenes but her eyes spoke when she didn't have any dialogue. Zaira Wasim and Sulhani Bhatnagar were awesome, just awesome. I was in awe how they are able to emote so much at their age. Ritwik Shore and Aparshakti Khurana together made Omkar a memorable character. I think they had some of the best scenes in the entire movie. I wanted to kill Girish Kulkarni after Ugly and after this I still want to kill him and that's a compliment. The side actors who formed the audience and little roles like the Dangal organiser and the guy who had sleazy theatre also gave substance to the movie. FINAL VERDICT - I am sure everyone has seen this movie by now and if you haven't then please do. It's a complete movie and it is very rare to see a complete movie, without gimmicks nowadays. I loved how they had such eye for detail because they gave that damaged effect to Aamir's ear. Many wouldn't notice it but it's great to that they did to provide authenticity to the character and the movie. It's a 10/10 for me and one of the best movies of 2016.
Nitesh Tiwari, Amir Khan and the team has put an extra-ordinary effort to make such an intelligent blend of Inspiration, Emotions and Humor that standing ovation at the end is irresistible. Dangal has a very unfamiliar high level of detail which is too good for Bollywood. High detailing make actors live the character, which doesn't go unnoticed and Dangal proves this point. Each actor wasn't just playing the character, they were truly living it. It was the Phogat family viewers saw on screen instead of the actors. That makes Dangal stand out. Acting is brilliant by both the lead and supporting actors. Mr. Perfectionist was great like always. No words to describe his level of commitment. Special mentions are the debutantes Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra and Zaira Waseem. All the wrestling scenes are perfect and viewers can't mistake them for actors. The way these girls portrayed the characters of the wrestlers Geeta and Babita is commendable and worthy of every award. Story was based on a true story and the director stuck to it with some slight additions to make the movie more emotional and enjoyable which is good for Bollywood audience. But as a critic I must say there was a little bit of over dramatization in the end. Also I want to mention that AK and Nitesh didn't include any usual romantic crap and dance sequences which must be appreciated. Casting could have been better. Fatima is too cute for Geeta's character and this matters a lot while making a Biography. But she minimized this shortcoming by her flawless performance. Movie is 2hr40mins long but its well crafted so its enjoyable. ____________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Its a must watch movie and Amir Khan keeps on setting standards for other producers of Bollywood which makes us hope for a better future of movies in India.
- Filmaholic_Khan
- Dec 23, 2016
- Permalink
Dangal (9/10) is the kind of film for which the 70mm medium exists. It has universal appeal, is technically brilliant and more than anything else it is a film that skillfully balances popular sentiments and realism. It is going to reach tens of millions of people without having compromised the quality of storytelling.
An extraordinary story of some extraordinary people who not only conquered their fears but also a society which had the negativity to kill their dreams even before they were born.
If Chak De was a fine example of exemplary editing in a sports film and Pan Singh Tomar was an exceptional sports film with great depth and realism, Dangal would forever be remembered as one of the best Indian sports film for the sheer reach it will have. Wrestling is a fast paced technical sport. To make the whole thing look as authentic as it has looked in the film, it would have required some meticulous planning and extensive training and they have done it really well.
The fact that you feel the frustration that Mahavir Singh Phogat feels in the final scene and you along with the whole audience begins to clap after each of Geeta's winning bout as if there was a live game at display shows how supremely engaging the film is. One negative, though not significant enough to harm the film is that it has over dramatazied the narrative at the cost of slight misrepresentation of the facts.
Only if the majority of Indian film makers could realize that it is not impossible to make good cinema with popular appeal, we would start getting more than just a couple of Hindi films every year worth watching. Now is a good time to list Top Films from India in the Sports/Drama genre: 1)Paan SIngh Tomar 2)Dangal 3)Chak De India 4)Iqbal 5)Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander 6)Lagaan 7)Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
An extraordinary story of some extraordinary people who not only conquered their fears but also a society which had the negativity to kill their dreams even before they were born.
If Chak De was a fine example of exemplary editing in a sports film and Pan Singh Tomar was an exceptional sports film with great depth and realism, Dangal would forever be remembered as one of the best Indian sports film for the sheer reach it will have. Wrestling is a fast paced technical sport. To make the whole thing look as authentic as it has looked in the film, it would have required some meticulous planning and extensive training and they have done it really well.
The fact that you feel the frustration that Mahavir Singh Phogat feels in the final scene and you along with the whole audience begins to clap after each of Geeta's winning bout as if there was a live game at display shows how supremely engaging the film is. One negative, though not significant enough to harm the film is that it has over dramatazied the narrative at the cost of slight misrepresentation of the facts.
Only if the majority of Indian film makers could realize that it is not impossible to make good cinema with popular appeal, we would start getting more than just a couple of Hindi films every year worth watching. Now is a good time to list Top Films from India in the Sports/Drama genre: 1)Paan SIngh Tomar 2)Dangal 3)Chak De India 4)Iqbal 5)Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander 6)Lagaan 7)Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
My Dangal Review/Thoughts:
In the moments of tension, I believe everyone exhibits their own unique body language to deal with nervousness and anxiousness. Mine involves folding hands (christian style). I am worried that I folded my hands for so long during the film that had I done the same in a temple, I would have been some Shah Rukh Khan myself. Yes ! The film is that excellent in its portrayal of the sport that it makes you grudge every time a player lands back first on the mat. We are so used to applauding action set pieces in other films that it will be criminal if the action choreography for Dangal goes unappreciated. This is the best and most realistic we have ever done!
The whole cast is so great that I can't do anything but wonder why we need the glam actresses for each and every big film..why not some Sakshi Talwar? The new faces do wonders when it comes to making the illusion of cinema feel true. And, when Aamir (the superstar) sheds former self to becomes some chachajaan, it adds to the illusion instead of taking the magic away. I am bound to praise Aamir, but that guy has lost that element of surprise to make you go WoW. He is just aamir being aamir in yet another film that'll be brought in his already long good list. This is what happens when you submit yourself to the script and director (<= full marks)
Most sports film are marred by clichés. Its impossible to evade the conventional trappings of the genre. Dangal has its fair share of those, but the biggest thing is that it knows when to stop, and that's what makes it a stadium like live experience. My adrenaline rush was high, and it made me very nostalgic as I got reminded of CWG Delhi days when I was 24*7 glued to DD sports. At this point, I feel my review is deviating from its path so I will put breaks by making a concluding statement.
This is Aamir's Chak de India! I am speaking this both figuratively and literally ( :) ). But, who in the right mind would mind another one of those.
In the moments of tension, I believe everyone exhibits their own unique body language to deal with nervousness and anxiousness. Mine involves folding hands (christian style). I am worried that I folded my hands for so long during the film that had I done the same in a temple, I would have been some Shah Rukh Khan myself. Yes ! The film is that excellent in its portrayal of the sport that it makes you grudge every time a player lands back first on the mat. We are so used to applauding action set pieces in other films that it will be criminal if the action choreography for Dangal goes unappreciated. This is the best and most realistic we have ever done!
The whole cast is so great that I can't do anything but wonder why we need the glam actresses for each and every big film..why not some Sakshi Talwar? The new faces do wonders when it comes to making the illusion of cinema feel true. And, when Aamir (the superstar) sheds former self to becomes some chachajaan, it adds to the illusion instead of taking the magic away. I am bound to praise Aamir, but that guy has lost that element of surprise to make you go WoW. He is just aamir being aamir in yet another film that'll be brought in his already long good list. This is what happens when you submit yourself to the script and director (<= full marks)
Most sports film are marred by clichés. Its impossible to evade the conventional trappings of the genre. Dangal has its fair share of those, but the biggest thing is that it knows when to stop, and that's what makes it a stadium like live experience. My adrenaline rush was high, and it made me very nostalgic as I got reminded of CWG Delhi days when I was 24*7 glued to DD sports. At this point, I feel my review is deviating from its path so I will put breaks by making a concluding statement.
This is Aamir's Chak de India! I am speaking this both figuratively and literally ( :) ). But, who in the right mind would mind another one of those.
- aashkaran2006
- Dec 22, 2016
- Permalink
This movie proves that India is not yet ready for an honest biopic film. Although the film excelled in every other aspects such as acting, cinematography, special effects, music; especially MUSIC, But it couldn't capture the real aspect of the story of the wrestlers daughter and her sisters. We never get to know her enthusiasm towards wrestling. Was it her relationship with her father who imposed his dream of winning a gold on her? or her duty towards her nation to win it? or was it her own desire to never give up or lose to a competitive opposition to satisfy her own ego?
This film was heavily clichéd just for the purpose of entertaining the masses and clearly may have aggravated many characters who are related to this story. TOO much HYPE may have given this movie the attention that it pursued, and why not? this is business after all.
Much disappointed with the makers of the film for adulterating such an awesome script which may have had made everybody proud. Current IMDb score :9.2 with over 13k users. Where have we gone wrong?
Final verdict: Its a good watch, but one wouldn't rate this movie 9/10 unless he/she had any personal attachment towards the film. it has good social message/dialogues. An 8 would be too generous, hence I would rate it 6 or 7 out of 10.
This film was heavily clichéd just for the purpose of entertaining the masses and clearly may have aggravated many characters who are related to this story. TOO much HYPE may have given this movie the attention that it pursued, and why not? this is business after all.
Much disappointed with the makers of the film for adulterating such an awesome script which may have had made everybody proud. Current IMDb score :9.2 with over 13k users. Where have we gone wrong?
Final verdict: Its a good watch, but one wouldn't rate this movie 9/10 unless he/she had any personal attachment towards the film. it has good social message/dialogues. An 8 would be too generous, hence I would rate it 6 or 7 out of 10.
- heartbeats123
- Dec 27, 2016
- Permalink
These lines from the title track of this movie quite sum up Aamir Khan's work ethic and dedication. I am an ordinary cinema-lover, not a critic. I like to take the things for what they are and not for what they should have been. Now let me come to the point.
Dangal is not just a movie, it's an experience. It does not end with its credits, it stays with you. It makes you laugh with its light humor, it makes you root for the leads presenting the juxtaposition of views in the beginning, its dialogues question your mind. It is said that 'Cinema is reflection of the society.' Well at-least that's what textbooks say. I need not explain the utter disregard in major mainstream cinema of India. But this movie, it creates a difference. It's mainstream because a 'super-star' (as we Indians like to call them) acts in pivotal role, but at its heart its an honest to God attempt to tell something which has been conveniently ignored by our mainstream cinema for quite some time, quite rebellious and off-the beat.
The soundtrack uplifts the already brilliant scenes, the title track 'Dangal Dangal' and Dhaakad give you goose-bumps, whereas 'Naina' leaves you teary-eyed. Nowhere in the movie has a song been put for headlong reasons, every song carries the story forward. Efforts by its actors are 'effortless', whereas the most of the material I have read till now doesn't mention Aparshakti Khurrana, who plays nephew of Aamir Khan, in line with the entire cast, he also deserves a special mention. Boy, he made me laugh with perfectly timed delivery of jokes!
Now, as I have stated, I am no film critic. So obviously, this movie may have its fair(?) share of flaws or its share of beyond comprehension brilliance. My write-up is completely based upon how I felt while watching the film and what stayed in my heart (and hope it stays for a long time) walking out that theater door.
Take a bow, Aamir Khan, Nitesh Tiwari, The Girls, The Boys and Team 'Dangal.' What you've created here is here to be a 'misaal'.
Dangal is not just a movie, it's an experience. It does not end with its credits, it stays with you. It makes you laugh with its light humor, it makes you root for the leads presenting the juxtaposition of views in the beginning, its dialogues question your mind. It is said that 'Cinema is reflection of the society.' Well at-least that's what textbooks say. I need not explain the utter disregard in major mainstream cinema of India. But this movie, it creates a difference. It's mainstream because a 'super-star' (as we Indians like to call them) acts in pivotal role, but at its heart its an honest to God attempt to tell something which has been conveniently ignored by our mainstream cinema for quite some time, quite rebellious and off-the beat.
The soundtrack uplifts the already brilliant scenes, the title track 'Dangal Dangal' and Dhaakad give you goose-bumps, whereas 'Naina' leaves you teary-eyed. Nowhere in the movie has a song been put for headlong reasons, every song carries the story forward. Efforts by its actors are 'effortless', whereas the most of the material I have read till now doesn't mention Aparshakti Khurrana, who plays nephew of Aamir Khan, in line with the entire cast, he also deserves a special mention. Boy, he made me laugh with perfectly timed delivery of jokes!
Now, as I have stated, I am no film critic. So obviously, this movie may have its fair(?) share of flaws or its share of beyond comprehension brilliance. My write-up is completely based upon how I felt while watching the film and what stayed in my heart (and hope it stays for a long time) walking out that theater door.
Take a bow, Aamir Khan, Nitesh Tiwari, The Girls, The Boys and Team 'Dangal.' What you've created here is here to be a 'misaal'.
- Rishabh_Bora
- Dec 23, 2016
- Permalink
While I understand Aamir khan is just an actor who is portraying a role, I find it highly hypocritical that he does TV shows like satya meva jayate, the essence is to fight for human rights and equality of gender. It is so disgusting how 9.5 out of 10 Indians like this movie without realizing how a failed wrestler is enforcing his will on to his innocent girls. I get it girls can do whatever boys can do ideology but this is not about equal rights this is about free- will. A human be it a girl or a boy has a right to live his or her life without someone telling them what to do with their lives. I wanted to be a doctor but i turned out to be a successful software engineer, I do well with my life but I'm not satisfied. Point is Indian society is succumbed to the idea of do what parents tell you, your life is like a car driven by your parents, what you really want to do doesn't matter in most cases. This ideology has to change. Like how will Smith in pursuit of happiness says to his "don't ever let tell you what to do with your life, if you want to be something just go get it". We should let kids achieve whatever they want to achieve rather than enforcing your will into the kids. I know a lot of people will not understand my stance, I'm hoping someone rational understands the point and let their kids achieve their own dreams not the parent's.
Acting in the movie is a perfect 10, story is a 5/10 and I wouldn't like to see Aamir khan doing this kind of role, at the end of the day he's an actor but in India actors are role models and semi gods. I want to see a more meaningful movie like taare zameen par from Aamir khan.
Acting in the movie is a perfect 10, story is a 5/10 and I wouldn't like to see Aamir khan doing this kind of role, at the end of the day he's an actor but in India actors are role models and semi gods. I want to see a more meaningful movie like taare zameen par from Aamir khan.