Four Times ‘Dangal’ Stretched the Truth for Cinematic Effect

‘Dangal’ director Nitesh Tiwari took a few cinematic liberties although the film largely sticks to real events.

Aamir Khan with Mahavir Phoghat’s daughters Babita and Geeta. (Photo: PTI)

In a year when five sports movies were made as early as September – Saala Khadoos, Azhar, Freaky Ali, Sultan and M.S. Dhoni : The Untold Story – it was only fitting that the Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal ended the year with a bang.

Dangal is based on the life of former wrestler and wrestling coach Mahavir Singh Phogat and his two daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari.

The biopics which were made earlier in the year on Mohammad Azharuddin and MS Dhoni had set a trend of taking big detours from the real stories.

All of them certainly had disclaimers saying the films are inspired from true events, but that doesn’t mean that the makers of the movies can show whatever they want.

The interesting aspect of Dangal is that the core of the story holds true to the real life events of Mahavir Phogat.

However, the director Nitesh Tiwari allowed himself a few cinematic liberties. The Quint takes a look at four facts which were shown wrongly in the movie.

1. Commonwealth Games Gold Medal Match

In the movie, Geeta Phogat struggles to win the gold medal match in the Commonwealth Games in 2010. She scores a five-pointer in the dying minutes of the match and clinches the gold medal with a scoreline of 5-1, 4-6, 6-5.

However, in reality, Geeta Phogat won the gold medal match 1-0, 7-0.

2. Mahavir Was Not in the Stands

Aamir Khan with Mahavir Singh Phogat on the sets of Dangal. (Photo: PTI)

In the film, Mahavir Phogat is taken to a room and locked up by a person sent by the Indian wrestling team coach just before the gold medal match. And he misses the entire final.

But, in real life, Mahavir saw his daughter win the Commonwealth Games gold medal.

Saurabh Duggal described in Mahavir Singh Phogat's biography Akhada how the wrestling coach felt on that day.

As Mahavir stood amid the cheering crowd that day, his gaze locked in on his daughter with pride, and the cold winter morning of 1988 flashed before his eyes. That was the day when he had held her (Geeta Phogat) in his arms and emphatically proclaimed one day she will make her family proud.

3. Geeta Didn’t Win a Single Tournament Before the Commonwealth Games

A poster of Dangal.

For some reason, the writers of the film decided to show that Geeta Phogat didn’t win a single tournament before the Commonwealth Games in 2010. She also received a lot of flak from the coach in the movie for not excelling at the international stage.

However, in reality, Geeta had won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in 2009.

4. Mahavir Hopes For a Boy Child

Aamir Khan and Sakshi Tanwar in Dangal. (Photo Courtesy: Youtube)

Mahavir in the movie desperately wants a boy child so that he can win a gold medal for the country. He and his wife try four times to give birth to a boy, but give birth to four girls instead.

But, actually, Mahavir Phogat never hoped for a boy child. In Mahavir Singh Phogat's biography, Saurabh Duggal writes:

One can perhaps imagine the state of Mahavir’s mind as the father of a daughter in the late 80s, when girls were considered a liability. But, ironically, it was not Mahavir but his wife, Daya Kaur, who was hoping that their first child would be a boy.