Dangal, the 2016 blockbuster film starring Aamir Khan, was based on the inspiring journey of the Phogat family, particularly the success of wrestlers Geeta and Babita Phogat. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film was a massive hit, grossing Rs 2070 crore worldwide, according to Sacnilk. However, despite the film’s monumental success, Babita Phogat recently revealed that her family received only Rs 1 crore for selling their story rights.
In a recent interview, Babita Phogat detailed how the film came to be made. She shared that the process began when a journalist from Chandigarh wrote an article about their family, which caught the attention of filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari. Initially, Tiwari’s team approached the Phogat family with the idea of making a documentary in 2010. “The director himself came and spoke to us all. At that point, he just told us that he would make a documentary on us,” Babita recalled. However, after developing the concept, Tiwari decided to create a full-length feature film.
Babita also expressed how emotional it was for her family to watch their lives unfold on the big screen. “Nitesh Tiwari narrated the story to us all first. At that time, they didn’t even know who they would cast for the roles. My entire family was quite emotional. When I watched the film for the first time, it seemed like I went back into my childhood,” she said.
Despite Dangal’s colossal success, Babita revealed that her family received only Rs 1 crore for selling their story rights. The decision about payment was made before the final script was written, and she disclosed that there was even a discussion to remove her name from the film. “You will be surprised to know, after the entire story was written, they were even having a discussion to remove my name from the film altogether. They wanted to change the character’s name in the film,” she said. However, her father, Mahavir Phogat, insisted on keeping their real names in the movie.
Babita also shared that after Dangal’s success, her father approached Aamir Khan’s team with a request to help fund a wrestling academy in Haryana, but the request was ignored. “My dad spoke to Aamir’s team and requested them to help us open an academy in Haryana for wrestlers, but that was ignored. It takes about Rs 5-6 crore to open a nice academy,” she revealed.
Despite the limited financial compensation, Dangal had a significant impact on raising awareness about women’s wrestling and the Phogat family’s contributions to the sport. However, Babita’s revelations highlight the disparity between the film’s massive global earnings and the compensation her family received for their inspirational story.
