#2 Nationalism over feminism
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Over and above the gender-related issues and female empowerment angle, the spur of nationalism takes the centre stage. That said, there are chinks in the feminist armour of the film which it does not even try to hide.
The notion of having a male child to see him fulfil a dream and then realising that the girl child is no less is all fine and good. But did the girls ever have the choice of becoming something other than a wrestler? It’s the stark truth that the decision-making for women still rests with men.
All that is brushed aside, of course, with the idea of “nation before individual”. Like every other sports film, Dangal is also about winning a gold medal for India. The burden of patriotism is carried by the film right down to the fictitious twist in the climax, complete with the national anthem.
