I have always been a Hollywood fan and it’s only because how well they work with their stories before showing it to the world. It’s very rare in today’s Bollywood to see that work and dedication towards a story. It’s because of this you would rarely run into me in a Bollywood movie screen. But I say rarely and not never because there are still some artists in the Bollywood industry who are keeping my hopes alive in this art of filmmaking. One such artist is Aamir Khan; no matter what controversies he has due to his personal life, I wholeheartedly respect the dedication he has towards his art (Yes he should be sorry for Dhoom 3). Recently I went to see his latest release ‘Dangal’ and I was mesmerized by his knack for storytelling. The movie is inspired by the real-life wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his two daughters Geeta and Babita Singh Phogat. The movie is basically a biopic on their journey to the Commonwealth gold and silver medals respectively. The best stories are those whose endings are known but it still manages to bind you to the seats. This movie does that beautifully. So here are things you can learn from Dangal this Christmas.
- A different Father Daughter relationship:
It is my opinion that fathers always treat their daughter like their princess which is never a wrong thing and this aspect of the relationship has been shown in movies over and over again. But the father in this movie treats her daughter like warriors who are getting trained for war. He wants them to be fighters and he doesn’t mind if they think he’s the worst father ever as far as they reach their goals and make something of themselves. And this in no manner means that he doesn’t love her daughters.
- Brilliant Script and well-choreographed fights:
I waited eagerly for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and it was a sheer disappointment in the end only because of an incompetent script. But Dangal, on the other hand, comes with a power packed and intriguing script without moving from the focus of the story ( which as a writer I know how difficult it is). With that the spot on casting and Aamir’s acting makes this movie a delight to watch. To top it all, the fights in this movie are not choreographed one sided like Sultan (sorry Salman fans) but exactly like a wrestling match looks like. It will keep you rooted to the seat until it all ends.
- Woman Empowerment done right:
The one thing I have found some movies guilty about is they are not subtle in the social message they want to send. This movie not once talks directly about woman empowerment but just by the story screams the importance of it in today’s world. Many script writers have forgotten the golden rule of writing, “ Don’t tell, show.” I definitely want to complement the screenplay team to do this in the most beautiful manner possible. Also, this movie shows that you can make an entertaining movie and yet send a message through it. Isn’t that why we have art? High time the big names of Bollywood take a page from this movie and fix their work.
- Modern vs Traditional:
The movie also goes into the details of wrestling which help you understand why things happen the way they do. When coached by a national level coach Geeta starts thinking his father’s methods are primitive and won’t work in the international arena. Isn’t that what our entire generation is doing? We choose modern over traditional just for the sake of it, never trying to understand the pros and cons of both the methods. I’m neither pro-traditional nor pro modern; I chose everything on the basis of merits. And later in the movie Geeta learns the same the hard way.
- Overnight success is a myth:
It took Mahavirji an entire lifetime and Geeta Phogat almost 10 years to get her first international Gold medal. Our generation can’t even go for a run regularly for two weeks. We always want a lot of success in life but we never want to give up anything to achieve it. We sit and make fun or curse people who have achieved success but fail to see the years of hard work and perseverance put in to get there. The movie portrays the hard work put by Geeta, Babita, and their father for years to be where they are now. The story tells you the importance of undivided attention towards goal and perseverance to keep going in the hardest of time. If it doesn’t leave you inspired nothing will.
- Find the right fit:
I read one of my friend’s status and it said the movie is about a father forcing their kids into doing what he couldn’t. Maybe he didn’t see the movie properly because only after realizing that Geeta and Babita have a potential to be good wrestlers does Mahavir Ji start their training. If he wanted to force them, he could have started that at a much younger age itself. Coming back to the point, this shows how important it is to find what’s right for your child. It just doesn’t come by hard work, your child must also have a liking and interest and aptitude towards it. Please wait and look for what they could be good at and then be strict on them to pursue it.
thewanderingwriter 