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Papa can't be there all the time!

Dangal (Wrestle, Hindi; 2016)

That title of the post kind of sums up the message behind the movie. All the seemingly cruel and unconventional things that parents do and try to impart to their downlines may actually be for their own good. Parents push their offspring to the brim not for their own self glory but so that the younger will be able weather any challenges that come their way in their future when the elders are no longer around to bail them out. What does not kill them only makes them stronger!

Imagine a world without Thriller and Moon Walk if Joe Jackson had not drilled his kids too such an extent that they reached superstardom. If not for his father, Michael would have been just an average Joe!

Unfortunately, the juniors are not going to easily to accept their seniors' point of view lying down. This must be the curse that every generation goes through before they realise the people before them were right after all. But then, sometimes this awareness may just come out a little too little too late.

Real vs. Reel life
This flick is the real narration of the story of a disappointed Indian wrestler from Haryana, Mahvir Singh Phogat, who did not manage to win a medal for his country. Hoping to train his unborn son to continue his failed mission, he lived a sad man's life as his newborns turned out to girls, one after another, four times. Twist of fate, he discovers his own wrestling spirit in his first two girls. Fighting a patriarchal conservative society which looks at the female gender as a burden, only good for cleaning the household and cooking, he trains his girls against all reservations. He even gets them compete against an all-male wrestling match which they won.

With liberal dose of artistic licence to spice up the real true life events, certain sequelae of events were altered to heighten suspense and stimulate the ever sensitive lacrimal glands of the Indian diaspora, the film managed to excite the masses. The film was given tax exemption in a few states as it disseminates a positive signal to the fight against gender discrimination and female infanticide. 

The bending of the truth and the objections by the parties involved in his daughter, Geetha Phogat's eventual gold medal win in 2010 Commonwealth Under 55kg category just adds more spark to already sizzling hot reception this movie receives at the box office.

Viewers of 'Dangal' would soon discover after watching this Youtube snippet below that the actual event which is suppose to mark the climax of the movie is a far cry than what is hyped on the silver screen. Hey, that's tinseltown for you!


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