Nitesh Tiwari Explains Aamir Khan’s Absence in Dangal's Conclusion
Click to start listening
Synopsis
Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari shares insights on the creative challenges faced while writing Dangal, including the decision to exclude Aamir Khan's character from the climax, ensuring the audience remained engaged despite knowing the outcome.
Key Takeaways
- Nitesh Tiwari faced challenges in keeping the story engaging.
- Aamir Khan’s character was excluded from the final match.
- Five versions were written to achieve the narrative twist.
- The decision aimed to focus on Geeta Phogat's journey to victory.
- The climax scene involved a plot by Geeta's coach.
Mumbai, March 23 (NationPress) The acclaimed filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari, known for his National Award-winning work, has shared insights into the creative obstacles he encountered while crafting the sports drama “Dangal.”
During a recent episode of Komal Nahta’s podcast “Game Changers,” Tiwari discussed how one of the main challenges was ensuring the plot remained engaging despite the audience's awareness that Geeta Phogat would ultimately win the gold medal. To maintain the element of surprise, he and his team made the bold choice to omit Aamir Khan’s character from the final match, introducing an unexpected turn to the film’s ending.
Nitesh stated, “It was quite alarming for us as writers because the audience knew that Geeta was destined to win the gold. The question was, how do we make it more challenging or unique for the viewers? Therefore, what is known becomes crucial.” The director elaborated that they opted to keep Mahavir Singh out of the climax and drafted five different versions to achieve this. This narrative twist redirected the audience's focus from whether Geeta would win to how she would achieve victory without her father.
“We concluded that Mahavir Singh should not be present; he needed to be outside the event, so we created five variations of how to achieve that. Eventually, we settled on this version since it resonated well with the national anthem moment. The audience would not be fixated on whether Geeta would win gold, but rather on how she would succeed without Mahavir Singh. That was the core idea—to exclude him from the final match,” Nitesh clarified.
For those unfamiliar, the climax of “Dangal” unfolds just before the ultimate bout, when Geeta's envious coach plots to confine Mahavir in a distant location, preventing him from coaching his daughter. During the match, Geeta secures the first round but loses the second. Despite her father's absence, she emerges victorious, becoming the first Indian female wrestler to earn a gold medal. Mahavir arrives just in time to celebrate with his daughters, foiling the coach’s attempts to claim credit for her success.
“Dangal” was produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao under Aamir Khan Productions, along with Siddharth Roy Kapur for The Walt Disney Company India. The film featured Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat. Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra played the adult versions of the Phogat sisters, while Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar portrayed their younger selves.
