--- title: "Dangal" year: 2016 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/dangal" fi1m_id: "dangal" imdb_id: "tt5074352" tmdb_id: 360814 wikidata_id: "Q20762668" fi1m_score: 78 critics_score: 68 critics_reviews: 5 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-10-06T10:37:26.411247+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Dangal (2016) Directed by Nitesh Tiwari · 2h 41m · MPA NR · Drama, Family, Comedy, Sport ## Identity Dangal - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/dangal - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** dangal - **IMDb ID:** tt5074352 - **TMDB ID:** 360814 - **Wikidata ID:** Q20762668 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5074352/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/360814, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20762668 **Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 68 (early) from 5 reviews *In a sentence:* Dad has mistaken having children for recruiting a wrestling team > Nitesh Tiwari’s wrestling drama is involving and well acted, with contests we can follow and care about. Its length and familiar training routines hold it back, but sports-film devotees should find the effort worthwhile. ## Synopsis Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan) has given up his own wrestling ambitions and turns his attention to his daughters, Geeta and Babita. He pushes them towards a sport in which girls face resistance, making their training a family concern. Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar play the younger sisters, with Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra taking the roles as they grow older. Sakshi Tanwar plays Daya Kaur. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film follows a father’s sporting hopes and his daughters’ efforts to compete against expectations about what girls should do. ## Review *Dangal* is a good sports drama, carried through its more familiar passages by the wrestling and the cast. Director Nitesh Tiwari takes a father who has put his own ambitions aside and gives him daughters he can push towards the success he missed. That makes for an uneasy kind of encouragement, especially when the society around them has firm ideas about what girls should do. The film is at its most engaging when it is establishing how this family works. Aamir Khan gives Mahavir Singh Phogat the stubbornness this story needs without making him a simple dispenser of wise advice. We can believe in his commitment and still question how much say his daughters have in it. Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar play the young Geeta and Babita, with Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra taking the roles as they grow older. Their physical performances give the sisters a presence that the emphasis on Mahavir sometimes threatens to deny them. The wrestling is where Tiwari most firmly earns our attention. Satyajit Pande’s cinematography and Ballu Saluja’s editing make the contests intelligible, allowing the performers’ physical skill and exertion to carry the excitement. We tensed up watching the women wrestle, because their physical effort makes every small advantage look hard to hold. A sports film needs that clarity, particularly when it cannot count on every viewer knowing the rules of the sport. Production designers Sandeep Meher and Laxmi Keluskar do useful, unobtrusive work: the surroundings never compete for attention with the people doing the wrestling. Pritam Chakraborty’s music is less discreet, and welcome for it. The songs supply a hearty push when the training follows the expected pattern, giving those passages an energy the writing does not always provide. At 161 minutes, however, *Dangal* asks for more patience than its story consistently repays. The early sections have a curiosity about this family that the later stretches do not always retain. Once the familiar sports-film routines take over, Tiwari spends too long giving us the training and encouragement we already know how to read. Saluja gives the wrestling shape, but the film around it needs a firmer cut. The repeated encouragement begins to feel unnecessary once the physical difficulty is so apparent. The film’s challenge to gender roles also has a limit. Mahavir’s determination occupies so much of the story that his daughters’ opportunity can seem to depend on having a sufficiently forceful man to arrange it. Khan makes that father interesting, but Tiwari does not examine his authority as closely as we would like. The actresses have to do much of the work of making the sisters matter in their own right. If sports dramas are your sort of thing, there is enough good wrestling here to justify another training sequence or two. These contests reward proper attention, so this is a poor choice for an evening spent glancing between two screens. Settle in, and allow the father more time to make his point than he strictly needs. *Fi1m score 78, published 15 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Dangal worth watching?** *Dangal* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a sports drama, and we scored it 78. Aamir Khan is stubborn and interesting as the father, and the wrestling is filmed so clearly that we tensed up watching the sisters fight for every small advantage. At 161 minutes, the training routines outstay their welcome, so settle in rather than glance at it. **How long is Dangal, and what is it rated?** *Dangal* runs 2h 41m and is rated NR by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and family film. **Where can I watch Dangal in the US?** *Dangal* is streaming on Netflix in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does Dangal compare to Wadjda?** *Dangal* and [*Wadjda*](https://film.one/film/wadjda) both follow girls pushing against what their societies expect of them, but *Dangal* is a long, hearty wrestling drama built around a forceful father, while *Wadjda* is a plain, funny, quiet story about a ten-year-old who wants a bicycle. *Wadjda* is the tighter and subtler film; *Dangal* is the one for viewers who want contests to cheer through. **What should I watch after Dangal?** After *Dangal*, try [*Bend It Like Beckham*](https://film.one/film/bend-it-like-beckham) (2002, Fi1m 76): Another daughter pursues sport while her family tries to decide her future. Then [*Wadjda*](https://film.one/film/wadjda) (2012, Fi1m 80): A girl’s wish for a bicycle makes everyday restrictions painfully clear. ### Reviews we read (5) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Lisa Tsering (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it an extraordinary tale of a woman’s and a nation’s empowerment. She singles out the emotional resonance, technical artistry, compelling performances, and intelligent wrestling sequences for praise. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/film-dangal-wrestling-match-959164/) - **The Guardian** (80/100, inferred): The critic finds this a solid, crowdpleasing sports drama that expertly uses its wrestling framework while addressing wider social issues like superstition and gender roles. The fiercely supple performances in the match-ups and the thumpingly good songs are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/dec/22/dangal-review-bollywood-nitesh-tiwari-aamir-khan-wrestling) - **IndieWire**, Laya Maheshwari (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the sprawling wrestling drama a Christmas treat that most audiences will enjoy but notes it is not perfect and falters later on. She highlights the engaging early sections and overall entertainment value while pointing to structural issues. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/dangal-review-bollywood-aamir-khan-1201762466/) - **The New York Times**, Ben Kenigsberg (70/100, inferred): The critic acknowledges that the film follows the standard inspirational sports movie formula of a father abandoning his own dreams and pushing his daughters to succeed in wrestling despite societal resistance. It highlights how the story effectively conveys themes of feminism and defiance of traditional gender roles in Indian society. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/movies/dangal-review.html) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (30/100, inferred): The review describes the film as a thin, formulaic inspirational tale stretched to excessive length, criticizing its surface-level approach and conventional training sequences. It praises Aamir Khan's nuanced performance and notes that the story ultimately delivers a touching tribute to girl power. [Read](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/dangal-review-aamir-khan-1201947338/) ## Details - **Director:** Nitesh Tiwari - **Director:** Nitesh Tiwari - **Screenplay:** Nitesh Tiwari - **Story:** Nikhil Mehrotra - **Cinematography:** Satyajit Pande - **Editor:** Ballu Saluja - **Music:** Pritam Chakraborty - **Production design:** Laxmi Keluskar, Sandeep Meher - **Costume design:** Maxima Basu - **Producer:** Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Siddharth Roy Kapur - **Cast:** Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat; Fatima Sana Shaikh as Geeta Phogat; Sanya Malhotra as Babita Kumari; Zaira Wasim as Young Geeta; Suhani Bhatnagar as Young Babita; Aparshakti Khurana as Omkar; Girish Kulkarni as Coach Pramod Kadam; Sakshi Tanwar as Daya Kaur - **Runtime:** 2h 41m - **Certificate (MPA):** NR - **Release (the US):** 21 December 2016 - **Genres:** Drama, Family, Comedy, Sport - **Budget:** $10 million - **Box office:** $311 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_7YlGv9u1g ## Where to watch in the US - Netflix: streaming *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Filmfare Award for Best Film 2017: Filmfare Award for Best Film (won) - Zee Cine Award for Best Film 2017: Zee Cine Award for Best Film (won) ## If you liked this - *Bend It Like Beckham* (2002), Fi1m 76: Another daughter pursues sport while her family tries to decide her future. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bend-it-like-beckham.md) - *Wadjda* (2012), Fi1m 80: A girl’s wish for a bicycle makes everyday restrictions painfully clear. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/wadjda.md) - *The Fits* (2015): A girl’s athletic training becomes an unsettling study of belonging. - *National Velvet* (1944): A young rider’s ambition receives the patience and seriousness it deserves. - *Offside* (2006): Girls barred from a football match make stubbornness funny and politically pointed. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/dangal