5 things to take away from Aamir Khan's Dangal trailer 

The trailer of the most awaited film of 2016 is out. Expectedly, within minutes of launching, the Dangal trailer went viral on social media. Based on a true story, Dangal traces the journey of a former wrestler and a father who wishes to fulfill his own dreams through his daughters. 

Here are five things that struck us in the trailer:

1. Addressing gender bias

A true story based in Haryana could not possibly escape the issue of gender inequality. Aamir Khan's character unabashedly shows his desperation for a son so he can train him in wrestling. Mahavir Singh Phogat has harboured the dream of winning a gold medal for the nation in wrestling and believes only a son can help him achieve this unfulfilled dream. Much of Dangal's success will depend on how sensitively and maturely the issue of gender bias is handled on-screen by director Nitesh Tiwari. 

2. Aamir’s Haryanvi is not quite perfect

It takes a Haryanvi to judge another. While Khan's language isn't chaste, he scores in departments like physique (chiselled to pot bellied), intensity and mannerisms. These resonate deeply with another humble Haryanvi.

3. Sakshi Tanwar, you beauty

She is a television star whose talent has been largely untapped on the big screen. In the trailer, Tanwar seems more at ease with the Haryanvi language than Khan is. The Haryanvis pronounce words differently than they are written, for emphasis. Tanwar's "Gitta, Babbita ne maara hai” dialogue (Geeta and Babita beat them up) and styling gives away her preparation as a Haryanvi wife and mother.

4. The right kind of daughters

From the looks of it, Khan and director Tiwari have found the right girls to play Phogat's daughters Geeta and Babita. Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar play the young Geeta and Babita Phogat, while Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra will carry off from where Zaira and Suhani leave.  

Men or women, fiesty Haryanvis don’t shy away from using cuss words. The way young Zaira Wasim pronounces desi cuss words kutiya and kamini is reflective of the typical Haryanvi swag. Older Phogats Shaikh and Malhotra don’t have any lines in the promo, but they impress with their intensity in and around the ring.  

5. Has Sultan taken the sheen off Dangal?

Though wrestling is common to both, Sultan and Dangal are two vastly different stories. As good as the Dangal trailer is, it does suffer from a Sultan hangover. Salman Khan and Ali Zafar have scored over Dangal by releasing their film in July this year. Visuals and scenes of despair are reflective of Sultan, but the Dangal trailer isn’t as melodramatic as Sultan’s. 
We see a commonality in the use of a scooter in both the films. Both the films have a melodramatic voice for their title track. While Sultan used Sukhvinder Singh and Shadabh Faridi, Aamir Khan chose Daler Mehndi's powerful voice.

Produced by Aamir Khan and Disney India, Dangal releases on 23 December 2016.

Watch the Dangal trailer here.