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Parents' Guide to

Dangal

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Tough father trains unwilling daughters to be champions.

Movie NR 2017 161 minutes
Dangal Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

Arpit A.
Arpit A. Adult
February 6, 2020
age 6+
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

DANGAL, which means "wrestling" in Hindi, is the passion of Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan), a talented amateur wrestler who never won gold for his country but longs to train his sons to fulfill his dream. When his wife bears daughter after daughter, he adjusts his plan, forcing his preteen girls Geeta (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babita (Sanya Malhotra) to train like professional athletes. He cuts their hair off and drags them to compete against boys, humiliating them. The town disapproves, but Phogat bends to no one, imposing 5 a.m. trainings and workouts with a nephew to toughen the girls up. It's not until the girls skip training to attend a wedding that their eyes are opened to the fate of most Indian village girls. The miserable bride expresses her envy over their father's attention. She points out that girls are considered burdens until they're married off at 14, when a husband they've never met before takes charge of them, gets them pregnant, and relegates them to childcare and kitchen duty for the rest of their lives. Babita and Geeta train with enthusiasm from that point on, winning so many bouts that first Geeta and then Babita both earn spots on the coveted national women's team, which boards and trains them far from home and their father's wise and watchful eye. A vain and incompetent coach tries to erase their father's training, substituting an emphasis on technique that results in losses. As the girls learn to trust their father and appreciate his respect for them, they reject the coach, revel in their own passion for wrestling, and bring pride to themselves and their country.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (4 ):

At times, this is an utterly thrilling sports movie featuring some of the most compelling fictional sports competition scenes in recent memory. Director-writer Nitesh Tiwari creates an unmistakable arc for each character that defies cliché even as Dangal does in some ways adhere to well-worn story conventions. A tough father/coach imposes his will on young, lazy beginners who want to avoid both feeling different from all the other girls and the grueling training imposed on them. But the movie transcends these banalities, partly through the use of well-placed songs with lyrics specific to wrestling and training ("Wrestle, O Wrestler!"), and also through a refusal to make excuses for the father and his harsh ways, even when he finally tells the girls he's proud of them.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what it takes to be a good parent. Should parents teach children not to care what others think? How can that be a good thing? How can that be a bad thing?

  • The girls were humiliated when their father forced them to cut their hair in Dangal. Why do you think after growing it out in rebellion, Geeta cuts it short again? Does she realize that being different can be something to be proud of? Does she do it to acknowledge all that her father had been right about?

  • Do you think the athletic training the girls received will make them stronger people? What are some of the drawbacks of being treated by their father that way?

Movie Details

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