Aamir Khan is known for staying away from award functions. The 53-year-old actor had also created a stir not long ago with his remark about growing intolerance in the country to an extent that his own wife was wondering whether they should migrate to another country. Right-wing Hindus had responded to his comments by calling for a boycott of his films, declared him “anti-national” and asked him to go to Pakistan.

That was in 2015. Now the Indian Express has a story about the same Aamir Khan accepting an award from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. He received the Vishesh Puraskar from Bhagwat at the 75^th Dinanath Mangeshkar Awards function for his performance in Dangal, one of the biggest hits of 2016.

Dangal was based on the story of Mahavir Singh Phogat and his struggle to train his two daughters, Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat, to win accolades in wrestling, a sport that is usually dominated by men.

“Today wherever I am, the credit goes to all the writers who have written my films. I am here because of the directors and writer for the wonderful work they’ve done. I thank all of them,” he said while receiving the award.
 

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As it was strictly meant for male pahalwans, women were not even allowed to watch them fighting, let alone participating. Something similar to Khap Panchayats, where women still are not welcome. Women are the fairly latecomers in wrestling arena and yet not so welcome. In this context to make a film on the emergence and development of women wrestling in India itself is a fascinating idea.

Gama Pahalwan at Eidgahi

Dangal, the movie is based on a true story of Mahavir and his firebrand daughters and their ‘quietly’ active mother. It is an important movie to watch for many reasons. Firstly, it portrays a father who wanted his daughters to pursue something (wrestling) which was un-imaginable in those days. It reveals what it took for the first generation of women wrestlers to break those masculine stereotypes and depicts the overall impression of wrestling in the realm of sports culture in India. There are so many moments in the film to cheer about, to get goosebumps (at least I got many). Writing review is an unknown territory for me but there is a personal reason to taking to this venture of writing.  The release of this film forced me to say something which, as a former wrestler for almost ten years, is still left with me.  When Geeta came back from National Sports Academy (NSA), Patiala, she was a changed woman. She is no more a girl who just won the gold medal in national games. She has grown her hair, watched couple of cinemas in Patiala, ate gol guppas, had nail paints etc. These were some moments of pleasure which she was deprived of by her father (Mahavir) in Balali village, Bhivani in Haryana. Mahavir noticed these changes and kept sulking. He didn’t say a word. When she went to her father’s Akhara, she also tried to change the way Mahavir was teaching wrestling till now. Mahavir’s masculinity got hustled and in response he tried to teach Geeta a lesson, but eventually lost to her. This might be seen as one of the passing scenes in the movie, but for me, it says a lot! Mahavir who was always sure about his way of life and teaching was lost to his own daughter whom he taught. It was hard for him to accept. The defeat from his own daughter, a girl, hurt his masculinity deeply. A patriarch was made to taste the mud in his own den. There was no coming back from there. No sign of truce or repentance from Geeta. Masculinity is not always challenged by big events, with a grand opening. Patriarch(ies) are and have been challenged in bits and pieces, in small steps, quietly. That is way too hard to digest and especially difficult when you come from a place like Haryana where women succumb to death in order to break gender stereotypes. Many cases of killing in the name of honour are living example in this region.

Lets take a look at another scene which was appealing in its own narrative. When Mahavir took Geeta to Rohtak to participate in one of the first Dangal of her life, she was looked down upon, taunted, made fun off with her father. In real life it wasn’t one of the easiest moments for Mahavir, let alone Geeta, who was 13 at that time. Women in Haryana are particularly domesticated with all those taunts by men, but men are not warmed up to all these. They don’t know how to take shame. It is as if they are not ready for it. The most commendable thing which came out here is what happened when Mahavir decided to put Geeta in front of thousands of male spectators, no matter how much shame it brings it to him. Eventually, Mahavir and Geeta had the last word. He was more ashamed by the public in general and his clan members in particular. The scene, where she tells his opponent male pahalwan, chori samajhke mat ladiyo, was an evocative one. This says a lot about the ways in which girls have been been typecast by all Haryanvi society and mards around her!

In an appealing scene, which might have been missed by many, Geeta Phogat won the gold medal at Commonwealth Games, 2010 in Delhi. The national anthem was played, but that wasn’t what Geeta was cheering for/ overwhelmed about! She was looking for her father in stands, who wasn’t there! And when she saw him, she ran towards him and gave him the medal. The moment of winning a gold medal at the Commonwealth was a proud moment for her, her father and her family than it was for the country. The film revolves around the personal and social spaces in which Phogat sisters and Mahavir are situated and not in the spaces of nation, nationalism or patriotism. Geeta’s achievement was more pronounced because she fought and won a battle against all obstacles set out by a dominant and exploitative society. She owed her success only to her parents/father and family not to any nation/national sports body. Playing for India was merely a departure moment here and not the defining one. She could see and anyone who has little acquaintance with wrestling and the social circle around it will tell you that the achievement is more important for Geeta (or any other woman wrestler) because it enabled her to overcome the constant fear and shame.  It challenges the blindness which denies to see women as equal human being in the region from where she comes from.

Geeta Phogat in world championship
 

Her belief in her father more than the national team coach also confirms the stature of sports (minus cricket) in this country. In this context, I can recall the recent example of Narsingh-Sushil Kumar drama which had reached the court. This incident also shows how contaminated the sports administration in general and Wrestling federation in particular has become. Moreover, the women teams have been thoroughly neglected (materially as well as socially) in order to discourage them rather than encouraging them to fight it out. The coaches have their own favouritism and are least serious regarding the team performances. Not surprisingly, the position of women team’s coach has been considered as a position of punishment. The recent coach of the team (who also assisted Amir Khan in the film) Kripa Shankar was a forgotten/unsung hero who comes from Madhya Pradesh and not from the north lobby (Haryana, Punjab administrators dominate the wrestling’s highest body in India). Even the current Wrestling Federation of India chief, Brij Bhushan Saran Singh, a BJP member of parliament is from Uttar Pradesh and has no distant relationship with wrestling!

In a country, where the cases of women players’ molestation and rampant bias are common, (one must not forget the case of women hockey players who were constantly molested by the head coach and when they raised their voices, they were shown the door), it is important to ask where would one go to regain their strength, assurance, confidence and trust? For Geeta and many others (given the lack of any other spaces to rely upon), it was her father, who became sutradaar to reach where she was in 2010 despite all the odds against women entering the wrestling arena.

The hard-core training could seem comical to some and frustrating to many when they do not understand the context. it is often traumatic, indeed frustrating and could be seen forced, but we must ask are there any other ways to deal with it? The film and the social context might not have a straight sociological answer for that and we may not always look for an answer. On explaining further, it is not easy to get away with caste and gender barriers in a society where lines are demarcated so sharply and doing anything in this regard could be ‘sehat ke liye haanikaarak’ sometime! Mahavir and his daughter did take that risk and overcome it. It may not appear perfect, but for the time being, this attempt/endeavour was necessary.

Sometime the linguistic grammar can not express the grammar of actions and their impact on larger canvas. Mahavir’s life is one such example. He might emerged as stubborn, choleric and unpalatable, but the actions posed throughout the film has larger implications. He was not there to champion the cause of gender justice, but the emergence of Geeta and other women’s barging in the ‘all-male club’ certainly paved the way for that. This is a welcome step, given the limited access to anything ‘social’ to women. This film has its own narrative and it is completely fine if it doesn’t suit our notions and convictions. Mahavir might have won via Geeta through his perseverance, but he lost in bits and pieces, quietly to her as well. Dangal stands apart from many other sports movies (Chak De India, Mary Kom etc.), it neither sets high claims, nor tried to achieve them. It’s a tale of unsung struggles and overcoming them.
 

The Phogat family

 
Praveen Verma was a wrestler for more than ten years, and ended up in University by chance! He is now doing PhD from Department of History and is also with NSI.

Courtesy: Kafila.online
 

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क्या यह दोहरा मापदंड है। अरे नहीं-नहीं!
 
पाकिस्तान के फिल्म डिस्ट्रीब्यूटर्स, आमिर खान की चर्चित फिल्म दंगल को अपने यहां रिलीज कराने के लिए जोर लगाए हुए हैं। उन्हें उम्मीद है कि नवाज शरीफ इस फिल्म को देश में रिलीज कराने की मंजूरी दे देंगे और जल्द ही पाकिस्तान के सिनेमाप्रेमी इस सुनहरे पर्दे पर देख सकेंगे।
 
भले ही पाकिस्तानी फिल्म एक्टर फवाद खान स्टारर करन जौहर की फिल्म ‘ऐ दिल है मुश्किल’ के रिलीज का भारत में कितना भी विरोध क्यों न हुआ हो। लेकिन फवाद पर्दे पर भारतीय स्टार की तरह ही दिखते हैं। उम्मीद है कि आमिर खान की फिल्म को पाकिस्तान का यह हश्र नहीं होगा। पाकिस्तान इस फिल्म को अपने यहां रिलीज कराने की मंजूरी दे देगा। हालांकि यह नहीं भूलना नहीं चाहिए महाराष्ट्र नवनिर्माण सेना (राज ठाकरे की पार्टी) ने ऐ दिल मुश्किल पर पंचायती की थी। तेलंगाना के बीजेपी एमएलए राजा सिंह ने फिल्म के रिलीज होने का जोरदार विरोध किया था क्योंकि इसमें पाकिस्तानी स्टार फवाद खान एक्टिंग कर रहे थे। इसके बाद ठाकरे ने बीच-बचाव कर फिल्म रिलीज कराई थी।
 
बहरहाल, पाकिस्तानी मीडिया की रिपोर्टों के मुताबिक वहां के सूचना, प्रसारण और राष्ट्रीय विरासत मंत्रालय ने वाणिज्य मंत्रालय के साथ मिलकर शरीफ से आमिर खान स्टारर दंगल को रिलीज की इजाजत देने की मांग की है। पाकिस्तान के डिस्ट्रीब्यूटरों ने भारतीय मीडिया की उन खबरों को खारिज किया है, जिनमें कहा गया है कि दंगल वहां रिलीज नहीं होगी। उन्होंने कहा कि फिल्म पाकिस्तान में रिलीज होगी भले ही इसमें एक सप्ताह की देर हो।
 
जियो फिल्म के मोहम्मद नासिर ने कहा कि भारतीय मीडिया में गलत खबरें आ रही हैं। हां यह सही है कि फिल्म को रिलीज करने में दिक्कत आ रही है लेकिन हमने उम्मीद नहीं छोड़ी है। फिल्म को रिलीज होने में एक सप्ताह की देरी हो सकती है। हालांकि इस बारे में अभी कोई पुख्ता फैसला नहीं हुआ है।
 
पाकिस्तान के सिनेमाघर दंगल और कुछ अन्य भारतीय फिल्मों से उम्मीद लगाए बैठे हैं। ये फिल्में जनवरी में शुरू होंगी ताकि पिछले तीन महीने से फिल्मों की रिलीज बंद करने पर लगाई गई स्वैच्छिक रोक से हुए घाटे की भरपाई हो सके। हालांकि प्रतिबंध चुपके से पिछले सप्ताह हटा लिया गया था। लेकिन दंगल के रिलीज होने पर अनिश्चितता कायम है।

आधिकारिक रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक इस फिल्म के स्थानीय वितरक जियो फिल्म आमिर से सीधी चिट्ठी-पत्री में लगे हैं। आमिर इस फिल्म के निर्माता भी हैं। उनकी मदद से दंगल को पाकिस्तान में रिलीज होने की उम्मीद लगाई जा रही है। वैसे पाकिस्तानी मंत्रालय के सूत्रों का कहना है कि सिर्फ नवाज शरीफ ही दंगल को रिलीज कराने का फैसला ले सकते हैं।

पाकिस्तानी फिल्म एक्जिबिटर्स एसोसिएशन के अध्यक्ष जोरेज लशारी का कहना है कि उनका संगठन शरीफ के जवाब का इंतजार कर रहा है। उनका कहना है कि फिल्में रिलीज होने पर रोक की वजह से एसोसिएशन के सदस्य भारी घाटा झेल रहे हैं। भारतीय कलाकार और डिस्ट्रीब्यूटर्स चाहते हैं कि उनकी फिल्में पाकिस्तान में रिलीज हों। लेकिन पाकिस्तानी वितरक नई भारतीय फिल्में फिलहाल नहीं खरीदना चाहते। वे सरकार से हरी झंडी का इंतजार कर रहे हैं। हालांकि लाशारी कहते हैं कि पाकिस्तान में भारतीय फिल्मों पर कोई आधिकारिक वैन नहीं है। सरकार से इस ओर से कोई अधिसूचना जारी नहीं हुई है। लेकिन पाकिस्तानी वितरक भारतीय फिल्में नहीं दिखा रहे हैं।

पाकिस्तानी फिल्म उद्योग के सूत्रों के मुताबिक स्थानीय वितरक भारतीय वितरकों को आठ से दस करोड़ रुपये देते हैं। जो समूह फिल्म खरीदता है उसे कम से कम 20 करोड़ की कमाई की उम्मीद होती है। हालांकि उन्हें इसमें कुछ राशि सिनेमाघर मालिकों को देनी होती है।
 
भारतीय फिल्में पाकिस्तान में 43 साल के लंबे प्रतिबंध के बाद 2008 में रिलीज हुई थीं। 1965 के युद्ध के दौरान भारतीय फिल्मों पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया गया था। यह अलग बात है कि भारतीय फिल्मों में पाकिस्तानी अभिनेताओं के अभिनय पर ‘बैन’ के लिए गला फाड़-फाड़ कर प्रतिबंध की मांग की जाती है।
 

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राज्य में ‘बेटी बचाओ-बेटी पढ़ाओ’ कार्यक्रम और कुश्ती के प्रोत्साहन को ध्यान में रखते हुये इस फिल्म को कर में छूट दी गयी है।

हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री मनोहर लाल खट्टर ने रोहतक के करीब गरही सांपला में एक जनसभा को संबोधित करते हुये फिल्म को कर मुक्त किये जाने की घोषणा की।

उन्होंने कहा कि राज्य सरकार हरियाणवी फिल्म को प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए भी काम कर रही है और इसके संबंध में राज्य के सिनेमा ऑपरेटरों की एक बैठक भी की गयी है।

मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि सरकार हरियाणवी एवं अन्य फिल्मों के प्रोत्साहन के लिए जल्द ही फिल्म नीति पेश करेगी।

उल्लेखनीय है कि फिल्म दंगल पहलवान महावीर सिंह फोगाट के जीवन पर आधारित है। फिल्म का निर्देशन नितेश तिवारी ने किया है। उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार पहले ही इस फिल्म को कर छूट दे चुकी है।
रायपुर, 25 दिसंबर :भाषा: छत्तीसगढ़ सरकार ने आमिर खान की फिल्म दंगल को राज्य में मनोरंजन कर से छूट देने का फैसला किया है।

आधिकारिक सूत्रों ने आज यहां बताया कि मुख्यमंत्री रमन सिंह ने हिन्दी फीचर फिल्म दंगल को राज्य में मनोरंजन शुल्क से छह महीने के लिए छूट देने की घोषणा की है। उनके निर्देश पर वाणिज्यिक-कर (आबकारी) विभाग ने यहां मंत्रालय से अधिसूचना जारी कर दी है।

आबकारी विभाग के अधिकारियों ने बताया कि अधिसूचना के अनुसार इस फीचर फिल्म को राज्य के सिनेमा घरों में प्रदर्शन पर छ}ाीसगढ़ मनोरंजन शुल्क तथा विज्ञापन-कर अधिनियम 1936 के प्रावधानों के तहत छह महीने के लिए छूट दी गई है।

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Double standards? No, no. A Karachi dateline report of the  PTI states that  local distributors of the latest Aamir Khan-starrer "Dangal" in Pakistan are pinning their hopes on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to give his formal approval to its release in the country and are expecting the film to be screened soon.

Despite all the noise and angst about the release of Karan Johar's film, " Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" s starring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in India barely two months ago (October 2016), looks like Indian star of the silver screen, Aamir Khan's Dangal will not to suffer a quid pro quo fate. And Pakistan will quietly allow its release and distribution in Pakistan soon! After the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (Raj Thackeray' s threats and intimidation, Telangana BJP MLA Raja Singh had vociferously opposed the screening of Johar's film leading to high level 'consultations' before Johart appealed for its release.

According to Pakistani media reports, the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage in association with the Ministry of Commerce, has sent an official summary to Sharif seeking his permission to release the film in Pakistan. Pakistan is considered as the third largest market for Indian films.The local distributors have rubbished  reports in Indian media as "false" that the film would not be released in the country, saying its screening may get delayed by a week.

"That is false news. Yes there are hurdles that we are facing in releasing the film in Pakistan but we haven't lost hope yet. The film might get delayed by a week or so but no final decision has been taken as yet," Mohammad Nasir of Geo films said.

Pakistani cinema owners are pinning their hopes on the release of "Dangal" and other Indian films to be released in January to make up for the losses they suffered during a three-month voluntarily ban on screening of Indian films in Pakistan. The ban was lifted last week in a low-key fashion, but the release of "Dangal" still remains uncertain.

According to officials, local distributor Geo films are in direct correspondence with Aamir, who also happens to be the producer of the film, to make its release possible.

A ministry source said that now only the Prime Minister can move things forward.

Zoraiz Lashari, chairman of the of the Film Exhibitors Association of Pakistan, has said that they too are awaiting the Prime Minister's response.

"We have been suffering grave financial issues due to the suspension. Indian artistes and distributors want their films to be screened in Pakistan but the local distributors are hesitant to purchase new films before the government gives it a green light," he said.

"I want to make it clear that there is no ban on Indian films in Pakistan as no official notification was issued by the government," he stated.

According to industry sources, local distributors pay around rupees 80 to 100 million to Indian distributors and the buying group must earn around 200 million rupees as they also have to pay off some amount to the cinemas and make profit.

Indian movies returned to Pakistani cinema houses in 2008 after a 43-year-long hiatus imposed during the 1965 war. But is the hysterical 'ban' on Pakistani actors in Indian films another matter?

Double standards–no no!

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