Dangal | Updates and Discussion Thread - Page 45

Look what my daughter and her friends are up to! Thank you Ira!!! Wait till you meet the real Mahaveer !

Dangal seems to be a film that is full of surprises. First, the trailer stunned us, then songs and, finally, the transformation of Aamir Khan from fat to fit. But it seems that the makers of the film are not going to exhale till they spread Dangal-fever in all its glory. Now there are reports that the actor would be singing Dhaakad in his own voice. Yes, you read that right.

Apparently, Aamir Khan and his team will be present at a women-centric event where in the honour of daughters of India, Aamir has prepared a special Haryanvi rap, which is another version of Dhaakad from Dangal album.

Dhaakad talks about women empowerment and the makers have dedicated it to the daughters of India. When Aamir got to know that the particular event will be acknowledging the women for their efforts, he too wanted to do something special for them. So, the actor went ahead and made his version of Dhaakad, to applaud women power and also introduce his onscreen daughters, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra.

The actor, who has previously crooned Aye Kya Bolti Tu (Ghulam) and Sarfarosh (Is Deewane Ladke Ko), is all set to shoot a promotional video for Dangal, wherein the actor would sing and even rap. And no, the surprise doesn't end here, the perfectionist would also undergo a transformation to look like a genuine rapper. Well, that leaves us extremely excited! This video marks second promotional video of Aamir after Delhi Belly's song I hate you like I love you'.

The wrestling drama, based on true events, will get the widest ever release for an Indian film in North America.

Two years after he starred in PK, the most successful Bollywood film ever having grossed an estimated $100 million, Aamir Khan returns in wrestling drama Dangal which will open in North American theaters first on Dec. 21, two days ahead of its release in India and other countries.

Dangal is based on the real-life story of ex-wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat (played by Khan) who was forced to give up his dream of competing in international competition due to financial constraints. But in a twist of fate, he fulfilled his ambition by training two of his four daughters into world-class wrestlers, while challenging the norms in India's strict patriarchal society.

Khan tells THR that Dangal is "a very human story of courage and believing in yourself and your daughters." While the film's North American early opening and wide release will largely serve the Indian diaspora, Khan believes Dangal "can connect with audiences across cultures and from different parts of the world. It is for the family."

When he was first offered the script, co-written by the film's director Nitesh Tiwari, Khan said that in addition to being "inspiring and exhilarating, what took me by surprise is that there was a lot of humor in the story."

But the film also touches upon the more serious issue of female empowerment given that India has long been battling issues of gender-bias and violence against women. Khan points that despite the odds, things are changing and that Dangal "will have a very positive effect. When there is a particular mindset in Indian society which has been around for centuries, it won't change overnight but every attempt to look at things differently has its own impact and in that sense Dangal will have its own role to play in taking the issue [of female empowerment] forward."

At this year's Rio Olympics, India's sports women made history with double wins. Sakshi Malik won the country's first Olympic medal (a bronze) in women's wrestling, while badminton player P. V. Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal. "The only two medals won by India at the Olympics this year were by women," adds Khan.

As one of India's most bankable stars, Khan's career began in the late eighties with hits such as Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. In recent years, he also forayed into television hosting a popular show about social issues, Satyamev Jayate, which aired on Fox's Star India network.

Khan, 51, is known to be a perfectionist in preparing for his roles such as in 2008's Ghajini for which he went through vigorous weight training to achieve a muscular look. While preparing for Dangal, Khan subjected himself to a grueling regimen which required him to first add 61 pounds to portray the older version of his character, forming a major part of the film, and then lose all that weight to play the younger version. "For the first time, I took it to the extreme," says Khan. "Even when I was putting on weight, I continued to build my muscles. I went from 38 percent body fat to nine percent body fat."

Meanwhile, Khan will next begin shooting historical drama Thugs of Hindostan co-starring with Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, produced by veteran banner Yash Raj Films. In addition, via his own production company Khan has co-produced Secret Superstar, the directorial debut of Advait Chauhan, set for release next August, in which the actor says he "has an important cameo."

At a time when Indian talent is foraying into Hollywood such as Priyanka Chopra (Quantico, Baywatch) and Deepika Padukone (XXX: The Return of Xander Cage), Khan says he welcomes the trend stating that "Indian talent has the potential to entertain the world."

As for his own potential international foray, Khan says that in the past he has "received many offers from Hollywood but I didn't find any of them exciting in terms of script and character. For me, to do any film, the material has to excite me and which part of the world it comes from, is not relevant. When I do find something that I like [from outside India], I will be happy to do it. At the moment, I am more excited doing Indian films because I have an emotional connect with my audience which has been built over the last 25-30 years."

As well as its early opening in North America, Dangal will get the widest release ever for an Indian film in the U.S. and Canada, opening across 350 screens.The only other Indian films to break 300 theaters in North America have been last year's epic Bajirao Mastani with 304 screens and more recently, romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil at 302.

Miliye Mahavir Singh Phogat se! Dangal ka pehla dialogue promo ! Dangal in cinemas December 23

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khI52pGSj6U[/YOUTUBE]