Most of the reviewers for this film here on IMDb appear to be folks of Indian background; nothing wrong with that but with most of them offering glowing praise and a '10 rating, it's difficult to get a true perspective on the movie. I thought it was OK, though not a '10' rated film by any means. The picture utilizes a tried and true sports movie formula depicting a rigorous training schedule, a demanding coach and notable accomplishments along the way before the principal character encounters some roadblocks on the way to a Commonwealth Games gold medal. There's also the idea of success achieved by defying conventional thinking, in the way Geeta Phogat (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and her sister Babita (Sanya Malhotra) rise to prominence in the traditionally male sport of wrestling. That's perhaps the film's best takeaway, as the girls in question endured a lot of physical and mental anguish to achieve their goals, thereby serving as role models for other young women to follow.

I couldn't help thinking however, that if the setting for this film was present day America, the father (Aamir Khan) might never have gotten past the first month of training his daughters because someone would have turned him in for child abuse. Cutting the girls' hair and restricting their diet would have gotten someone to notice, and Mahavir slapping his young nephew Omkar for some slight was totally uncalled for. It might not have appeared so bad if the man had lightened up his approach from time to time but his expression was always so grim it looked like he was mad at the world. One could say that his style eventually paid off in the end, but the emotional toll on his daughters, especially Geeta, could have been avoided with a more 'fatherly' approach.

The one American film this most reminded me of was 1984's "The Karate Kid", but without a bully opponent and with national prestige at stake in the tournament matches. The film makers for that earlier movie put together a compelling and entertaining story in just about two hours, The additional forty minutes of screen time in "Dangal" is padded by repetitious scenes of training activity in the early part of the story that aren't all that necessary, while others are characteristically set to a musical accompaniment that seems to be a trademark of Hindi films. I did like the realism involved in staging the wrestling matches throughout the story, and the climactic final match was filled with suspense. With seconds to go, one will recall Mahavir's earlier explanation of the point scoring system, fully hoping that Geeta would somehow manage a five point take-down to insure a victory. The fact that this movie was based on the real life story of Mahavir Phogat and his wrestling daughters make it all the more fascinating.

"Dangal" is the highest grossing Indian film of all time and among the highest grossing non-Chinese films in China. Why? I assume it's because in both countries, women's roles are very traditional and the film celerates women stepping outside the normal female roles and succeeding...a great message of empowerment.

The story is about a frustrated man. Mahavir (Aamir Khan) was an Indian national wrestling champion but his father insisted he give up the sport and get a job. As a result, he never had a chance to compete internationally.

Mahavir comes up with the idea of him and his wife having a son....and he could teach the son to be a great champion wrestler. But he ends up having daughters. Instead of abandoning the idea, Mahavir decides he'll teach his daughters and make them champions....even though women generally don't compete in the sport in India. So, he has his daughters wrestle boys....and they win.

Eventually, his oldest, Geeta, becomes the Indian women's champion and is sent to the national training center. Things do not go well there and Geeta experiences loss for the first time. What will Geeta do? And, what of Mahavir's plans for producing a champion?

Aamir Khan has an incredible record and has produced some of India's best films. While I wouldn't say this film is quite as good as his "3 Idiots" or "Like Stars on Earth", it is an extraordinary film...and I can see why it did so well at the box office. Well made from start to finish and a most enjoyable story.

By the way, I was shocked at what Khan went through in order to make this movie. His weight loss, gain and muscle mass is incredible. I was especially shocked when I saw him take off his shirt early in the film...the guy was ripped!

Mahavir Singh Phogat is a former Indian national champion wrestler. With no support from the government, he failed to get an international gold medal for his country but hoped to be redeemed by a son. He is disillusioned after getting four daughters and no sons. Even the Gods have turned against him. Then neighborhood parents complain that Mahavir's daughters Geeta and Babita had beaten up their boys. He is inspired to train them for girls' wrestling.

This is based on the real family of wrestlers. As soon as he had the first daughter, it seems obvious where this is going. For an hour, this is a formulaic underdog sports movie. At that point, my main complaints are that it uses way too many montages and I thought cutting the girls' hair is a step too far. It follows the formula well and the characters are appealing. It's a solid sports movie. Then the movie keeps going and going. The darn thing is almost three hours and unlike other Bollywood movies, there are no long song and dance sequences. The story takes another step and the relationships get deeper. There is a fight between father and daughter that is tense and emotional. It takes the movie to a higher level. Even the hair has a nice payoff later on. The wrestling at the end is compelling. This is one of the better movies from Bollywood.