Wrestling with prejudices and gender inequality, Dangal emerges a roaring winner!

First off, Dangal is quite simply Aamir Khan’s best-ever movie to date. Considering his large and varied body of work, it is a bold statement to make. And yet, it’s the truth.

India is a country that lives in the past when it comes to achievements on the sports field (except in cricket). That may be the reason why there is a distinct lack of sports-based films in Bollywood, despite it being one of the planet’s biggest movie industries.

Aamir Khan, who gave us another sports classic in the form of Lagaan, once again gets into character as Mahavir Singh Phogat, former wrestler, whose greatest ambition was to win a gold medal for India.

He sets out to fulfill his dream through his son, but gives up after fathering four daughters. The little village of Belali is patriarchal and does not give girls as many opportunities to excel as boys do.

So Phogat has almost given up on his dream, only to realize that his eldest daughters Geeta and Babita are as good at wrestling as any other boy in the village.

Then on, he dedicates his life to making them the true champions they are. Aamir Khan’s performance, as well as those of his daughters, is intricately layered and simply brilliant. The fight scenes are as close to reality as it gets on screen and we root for the girls each time they get on the mat.

Khan’s character is not the typical Indian film hero. He’s portrayed as a human being full of flaws and imperfections.

There is little doubt that this is the best movie of 2016. So don’t you miss it.

Verdict: Nine out of 10 stars. This movie has lots of heart and the protagonists will remain with you long after the movie is finished.