Why Films Like Dangal Are Important For India.

2016 has been a great year for films spreading social messages, with Pink being received generously and Dangal too scoring high at the box office. In a country where the only sport that counts is cricket, Dangal beautifully highlights the struggles that other sportsmen go through along with the heart rending father-daughter relationship that is broken and remade.

For a sport that finds its mention even in the vedas, wrestling has been oft overlooked, especially for women. But set in the state of Haryana (a state notorious for its low male to female ratio and treatment of women), Dangal details the relentless struggle a strict father puts in to turn his daughters into wrestlers. Based on the life of Commonwealth Gold Medalist Geeta Phogat and her father Mahavir Phogat, Dangal is an ideal biopic that touches upon a lot of sore subjects.

Mahavir Phogat encourages his daughters -Geeta and Babita to become world champions and makes them endure rigorous training in order to become stronger. This is set against their young friend whose father plans to marry her off. A poignant scene, it makes for the point where the two girls realize their father's perspective and begin to count their blessings. But Aamir Khan's character isn't that of a flawless hero-in-fatherly-disguise. Earlier on in the film, we see him hoping for his second child to be son. We also see him dismissing his wife for apologizing by claiming it's not her fault. He also allows his girls to wear shorts to make it easier for them to jog despite them being embarrassed the first time due to their exposed knees. Overall, he is a grey character who is not a victim of misogyny and while he stands strong against patriarchy, he is yet to come to terms with gender equality. Mahavir Phogat's character doesn't make any effort to be a likeable. He does anything to keep his girls invested in wrestling - be it chopping off their hair or dragging them away for a wedding celebrations. The girls do go on to become famous wrestlers but only at the cost of their childhood. Is it then right, to force them into something they never showed prior interest in? Mahavir's attempt to get them into the sport seems to stem from his need to have girls who can rival men (or his lack of a male heir). Are we then, really moving ahead as a society if we only respect women who are adequate replacement for men? When you get into it, there is also the sublime implication that Geeta and Babita are what they are simply because of their father, a man.

In a country where women still belong to a lower strata than men, especially in rural areas and man are chastised for not being able to bear a male heir, the story of these young girls and their father's faith in them is a fresh perspective. Unlike in "Pink", the girls here are not victims of a patriarchal society but rather warriors who were guided right. Unlike "Sultan" where Salman Khan's character becomes a success almost overnight, Dangal gives us a realistic view of the situation. We see the girls work hard, we watch them fail, we empathize as they break down and cheer on as they fight back up again. Their story is not only that of success but also of failure.

For films dealing with sports, Bollywood often tends to paint a rosy picture and leave out the nitty-gritty details. For that doesn't attract a crowd does it? But Dangal lingers on the problems that these people face - lack of funds for training, inadequate exposure to the creme-de-la-creme, a sub-standard coach etc. These are basic issues that most sportsperson face during their trainee days.

In fact, at the very beginning of the film, as the credits flash on screen, there is a mention of the 'wrestling co-coordinator' Kripa Shankar Bishnoi, with the words 'Arjuna Award' beside. In a film about wrestlers, it is heart-warming to see such a gesture of acknowledgment towards them highlighting their achievements.

Overall, Dangal is a conflicted film that presents us with strong characters, a beautiful subject, good humour, quote-worthy dialogues and a lot of food for afterthought. To some extent, it succeeds in its aim to bring forth issues plaguing out country and on some counts, it falls prey to those exact sentiments. Either way, to see such a film achieve commercial success in the box office is a definitive measure of how far we've come as a country, it is a sign that we're finally opening up and ready to talk about the elephant in the room. And in case you haven't watched the trailer yet, here it is: