"Dangal," released in 2016, is an Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama directed by Nitesh Tiwari. Produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao under Aamir Khan Productions, along with Siddharth Roy Kapur under The Walt Disney Company India, the film features Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat. Mahavir is a former pehlwani wrestler who trains his daughters, Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari, to become India's first world-class female wrestlers. The adult versions of the Phogat sisters are portrayed by Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra, while Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar play their younger selves. Sakshi Tanwar plays their mother, and Aparshakti Khurana and Ritvik Sahore portray their cousin in different stages of life.

The film's development began in early 2013, with Tiwari penning the script. Aamir Khan, who had interviewed the Phogat sisters on his talk show "Satyamev Jayate" in 2014, was approached by Tiwari with the script later that year. Filming primarily took place in Haryana and Punjab, starting in September 2015. The cinematography was handled by Satyajit Pande, and Ballu Saluja served as the editor. The film's music was composed by Pritam, with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi, a coach for the Indian women's wrestling team, trained Khan and the cast for the wrestling scenes.

"Dangal" premiered in North America on December 21, 2016, and was released worldwide on December 23 to universal critical acclaim. The film was praised for its authentic portrayal of a true story and Khan's performance. It was also screened at the Beijing International Film Festival in April 2017 and the second BRICS festival in June 2017. The film won four awards at the 62nd Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Khan), and Best Action (Shyam). At the 64th National Film Awards, Zaira Wasim won Best Supporting Actress for her role as young Geeta. Internationally, "Dangal" won the inaugural Best Asian Film award at Australia's 7th AACTA Awards, Best Foreign Film and Top Foreign Actor (for Aamir Khan) at China's Douban Film Awards, and two Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards. It was also nominated in the Asian Brilliant Stars category at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.

Commercially, "Dangal" was a massive success, setting several box office records, including becoming the highest-grossing Hindi film and Indian film of all time. It grossed ₹2,024 crore (approximately US$340 million) worldwide, with significant earnings from China, making it one of the country's top 20 highest-grossing foreign films. The film remains the only Indian film to cross the ₹2000 crore mark. As of November 2018, it had been watched more than 400 million times on Chinese streaming platforms.

Plot

Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former national wrestling champion from Balali, Haryana, dreams of winning a gold medal for India. Unable to achieve this himself, he vows that his future son will. However, after having four daughters, he loses hope. When his eldest daughters, Geeta and Babita, defeat two boys in a fight, he realizes their potential and begins training them in wrestling.

Mahavir's training methods are rigorous, involving early morning workouts and strict discipline, including cutting the girls' hair short. Despite initial resistance and criticism from their village, the girls gradually embrace their father's vision and begin winning local wrestling matches. With limited resources, Mahavir trains them using improvised methods, preparing them for competitive wrestling.

Geeta eventually wins junior and senior championships at state and national levels and goes to the National Sports Academy in Patiala to train for the Commonwealth Games. There, under a new coach, she adopts different techniques and loses her discipline, resulting in a series of defeats. During a visit home, she arrogantly challenges and defeats her father, only to be reminded by Babita of the importance of their father's teachings.

Babita also wins the national championship and joins Geeta at the academy. Reconciled with her father, Geeta trains under his guidance over the phone. At the Commonwealth Games, despite initial setbacks and being locked out by a jealous coach, Mahavir's coaching helps Geeta win the gold medal, becoming India's first female wrestler to achieve this feat. The film concludes with Mahavir embracing his daughters, celebrating their victory.

Cast

• Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat
• Sakshi Tanwar as Daya Shobha Kaur (Mahavir's wife)
• Fatima Sana Shaikh as Geeta Phogat (adult)
• Zaira Wasim as young Geeta
• Sanya Malhotra as Babita Kumari (adult)
• Suhani Bhatnagar as young Babita
• Aparshakti Khurana as Omkar Singh Phogat (Mahavir's nephew)
• Ritvik Sahore as young Omkar
• Ananya Sharma as young Ritu Phogat
• Lakshita Goyal as young Sangeeta Phogat
• Girish Kulkarni as Pramod Kadam (coach)
• Vivan Bhatena as Harkinder (Mahavir's colleague)
• Shishir Sharma as Head of the National Sports Academy
• Meenu Prajapati as Jasmeet (Geeta's friend)
• Badrul Islam as Shamim (shop owner)
• Karmveer Choudhary as Maan Singh Phogat (Mahavir's father)
• Anurag Arora as Rajpal Singh Phogat (Mahavir's brother)