15th Marriage Anniversary

Yesterday was our 15th.....we spent it in London.....afternoon in Vertigo 42 which is on the 42nd floor of the tower with stunning views of London. Dinner in Maroush in Edgwere Road....a Lebanese Restaurant.....

Dangal - The Review

Yesterday we watched Aamir Khan's (AK) new movie, Dangal. We went with 3 other Indian families (13 people in all).

Like all of AK's movies, this was a much anticipated film. The music was released earlier and it was just fabulous.

Now straight to the review. 

As is AK's wont, again he chooses a subject which is not an obvious one for a commercial film. This is based on a real life story of the wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters Geeta & Babita.

The first half is just flawless. It has an earthy, real and warm feel to it. The girls who have played the young Geeta & Babita are cute, innocent & funny.  Zaira Wasim, who plays the young Geeta has stolen the show.

The treatment is sans melodrama, real yet very gripping and sprinkled with humour. 

The second half is very good as well. Here the older Geeta shines. Aamir Khan is his older avatar gets so much into the skin of the character, physically & otherwise, that you forget the AK we are familiar with. 

This is perhaps AK's best performance till date given that the character he plays is so different physically from him.

The songs 'Haanikarak Bapu', Daler Mehndi's 'Dangal Dangal' and 'Dhakkad' are so apt, and have a rustic Haryanvi feel to them. This the perhaps the best music of the year.

So as we moved towards the climax the buildup hit all the right notes.

I was now certain that the climax will be a rousing one like Lagaan or Chak De. This is also a sports movie (like them). 

This is where the movie faltered a bit. The climax had the unlikely comeback victory, the redemption at last, the national anthem and even 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'.......but somehow no one in the audience clapped or maro-seeti (maybe because this was a British Indian audience??). Can someone tell what is happening in the thetres in India?

The climax was certainly moving but it didn't give me goosebumps. The final surprise twist didn't help either. Not sure why this was introduced. The direction certainly lacks here. This was the moment to raise the pitch, build the crescendo, but the director chose to underplay it. It is surprising how AK also missed this trick, the perfectionist that he is.

Admittedly, the Lagaan climax is difficult to match. But Dangal had all the ingredients to come close but misses the trick here.

Also, it is not that easy to make wrestling exciting as compared to Cricket or even Hockey, but Dangal still does a fabulous job of it.

Dangal is clearly a labour of love. Notwithstanding the minor blip in the end, for me it is the best movie of 2016. The 4 girls are just rivetting. Aparshakti Khurana & Sakshi Tanwar give fab performances too.

Aamir Khan maintains and enhances his status as the numero uno actor in Bollywood, the king of clean and family entertainment.He has set a benchmark which others don't even try to reach.

Dangal is not be missed.