A
sport
of
strength,
focus,
technique
and
timing,
there’s
much
more
to
wrestling
than
beating
the
opponent
black
and
blue.
Like
WWE
legend
Shawn
Michaels
always
believed
‘A
true
wrestler
is
the
one
who
never
stops
learning
and
evolving.’
But
with
Vinesh
Phogat’s
heartbreaking
disqualification
over
discrepancies
in
weight
at
the
Paris
Olympics
just
when
India
was
keeping
its
fingers
crossed
for
a
sure
shot
victory
at
the
finals,
spirits
have
hit
an
all-time
low.
Art
mirrors
life
and
it
won’t
be
a
surprise
if
our
sports
biopic
obsessed
film-makers
turn
this
dramatic
change
of
events
into
a
movie
one
day.
On
that
note,
Sukanya
Verma
looks
at
10
wrestling
moments
of
Bollywood.
Dangal
Nitesh
Tiwari’s
nuanced
creation,
inspired
by
Mahavir
Phogat’s
experiences
of
training
his
daughters
Geeta
and
Babita
to
win
gold
for
India,
tackles
patriarchy
and
parenting
as
well
as
provides
some
solid
glimpses
in
contact
sport
choreography.
Sultan
Salman
Khan’s
striking
physical
transformation
to
play
a
jaded
pahelwan
returning
to
form
for
personal
reasons
shows
a
rarely
ever
explored
vulnerability.
Though
Sultan‘s
leading
lady
gets
a
fairly
shoddy
deal,
Anushka
Sharma
gladly
puts
her
sportiest
foot
forward
as
a
state-level
wrestling
champion
forced
to
pick
between
her
personal
and
professional
commitments.
Chandu
Champion
Kartik
Aaryan’s
portrayal
of
Murlikant
Rajaram
Petkar’s
life
covers
several
chapters
of
his
extraordinary
story,
which
begin
with
a
deep
love
for
pahelwani
and
reverence
for
its
ultimate
icon,
Dara
Singh.
Swades
NASA
scientist
Mohan
Bhargav
is
a
man
of
his
word.
And
Shah
Rukh
Khan
fulfils
his
promise
to
engage
in
a
bout
of
kushti
with
the
village
postman
cum
pahelwan
Rajesh
Vivek
in
a
friendly
contest
at
the
end
of
Ashutosh
Gowariker’s
feel-good
slice
of
nationalism.
Race
2
John
Abraham’s
freestyle
wrestler
jumping
inside
a
cage
fight
opposite
an
equally
burly
foreigner
is
just
the
sort
of
brawny
action
Race
2‘s
masala
revels
in.
Karan
Arjun
Remember
the
time
a
rough
and
tough
Salman
Khan
involuntarily
calls
off
all
bets
after
his
previous
birth
memories
pop
up
right
in
the
middle
of
a
wrestling
bout
leaving
his
adversary
gasping
for
breath
and
mercy?
Ghatak
Rajkumar
Santoshi’s
Ghatak
glances
at
the
akhara
culture
against
the
ghats
of
Benares
in
Sunny
Deol’s
dedicated
pahelwan,
which
underscores
his
muscle
and
authenticity
when
he
proceeds
to
single
handedly
take
on
a
Mumbai
crime
lord.
Khiladiyon
Ka
Khiladi
’90s
era
World
Wrestling
Federation
stars
Undertaker
and
Crush
clobber
each
other
inside
the
ring
and
outside
it
on
Canada
underworld
kingpins
Rekha
and
Gulshan
Grover’s
orders.
The
real
fun
begins
when
Akshay
Kumar
jumps
in
to
do
his
bit
in
this
unabashedly
Khiladi
franchise.
Chameli
Ki
Shaadi
Anil
Kapoor’s
scrawny
pahelwan
hopes
to
achieve
all
the
goals
set
by
his
pleasure-prohibiting,
girl-hating
guru
Om
Prakash
go
down
the
drain
when
he
falls
in
love
with
Amrita
Singh’s
titular
Chameli.
Part
of
its
chuckle
value
lies
in
watching
AK
slugging
it
out
with
a
portly
fella
in
the
free-for-all
dangal.
Pehli
Jhalak
Speaking
of
goofy
pahelwans
and
Om
Prakash’s
comedy,
the
man
sharing
tall
tales
to
his
minion
about
wrestling
the
god
of
the
game
Dara
Singh
followed
by
scenes
of
what
actually
transpired
inside
the
ring
is
slapstick
humour
at
its
vintage
best.
