Dangal Won Our Hearts But Broke It At The Same Time!

*No Spoilers*  

Dangal is a great movie. It warms my heart to see Bollywood carve such a beautiful path. It is cinema at its finest, with top notch acting. Without doubt, the casting crew of Dangal should be given extra cake at their success party.

Aamir Khan is a perfectionist and there’s not one doubt about it. He nails the role of Mahavir Singh Phogat, making us cry and laugh at the same time. His weight loss is a whole story of its own and the will power that this man possesses, surpasses all else. Sakshi Talwar, as Mahavir’s wife though a small role was commendable with a powerful screen presence.

The child actors in particular, deserve a lot of praise for their efforts. It’s not easy to even watch them go through the ordeals of rough wrestling. I cannot imagine how strenuous and exerting the practice sessions would have been. For kids of that age to have shown such commitment, we all need to learn a thing or two from them. Coming to the elder Geeta and Babita, they too have put in unbelievable efforts into convincing the audience that they’re indeed international wrestlers. In reality, they’re just normal mortals like you and me. Kudos to all four girls, for not just putting in physical efforts, but for the mental strength too. Respect!

Seems like such a perfect movie, right? I mean, what could possibly go wrong with it? Well, something can. And something did go wrong.

When Mahavir has made up his mind to train his daughters to become world class wrestlers, he goes to the butcher shop in his village and buys chicken. When his wife questions him (they’re vegetarians), he says “PROTEIN!” {Sigh}

Now here is a 100cr+ movie, reaching out to every nook and corner of the country and many other parts of the world, inspiring so many people to get out of their couches and get physically fit. It is inspiring so many women to get into sports. It is inspiring mothers and fathers to give their girl children more credit than marriage and push them to achieve what they want to. It is inspiring little girls and boys to win accolades for the country.

Somehow over the years, we have a weird way of imitating our heroes almost exactly. Aamir Khan has said it on big screen that to be a bodybuilder, you need to eat chicken. How long will it be before the consumption of chicken is going to be on the rise? Every time Geeta won a match, there was a shot of the butcher rejoicing with a cut-out of hers, and along with that we see the crowd gathering at the shop gradually increasing. That only means that many more innocent lives are being murdered.

Think about this: We have umpteen movies that show men stalking women. We naturally blame movies for having such an effect on societal behaviour. Same to say about item songs and objectification of women, right? We know for a fact that we have a terrible habit of believing and imbibing all that we see on the big screen. This solely results in those wanting to get into bodybuilding eventually turning to chicken for protein.

If you’re reading this and are interested, here are some great alternatives to protein that are absolutely cruelty free.

Lentils, hemp seeds, nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios), sunflower seeds, tofu, quinoa, beans, nutritional yeast to name a few. The list is endless. A wholesome well balanced plant-based diet is complete in itself and will provide all the necessary nutrition you need to conquer the world!

Dangal has scored full marks in female empowerment and standing up against society, but unfortunately failed us terribly in the animals rights department.

What do you feel? Please share your views in the comments section below.

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