Dr. T K Kohli

Dangal is one of the most revolutionary movies of our times. It has received rousing reviews from critics and avid film goers alike and has been hailed as a path altering film, which has definitely raised the benchmark as far as realism in commercial cinema goes. The movie is based on the real-life tale of Mahavir Singh Phogat and his two daughters, whom he trains to perfection so that they can become international level medal winning wrestlers. Let us look at the psychological aspect of this movie.

1. Helicopter parenting: In this movie, we find a helicopter parent in Phogat who wants his daughters to attain a certain brand of perfection. In many ways, his parenting style has been derived from his unattained dreams, which he also projects onto his daughters. In today’s day and age, such kind of parenting usually leads to a lack of decision-making skills as far as the child is concerned due to the excessive intervention of the parent in every decision and situation.
2. Perfection: In an obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD manner, the main character of the movie also projects his need for perfection on to his children, even going as far as limiting and completely cutting off their normal childhood habits like craving for sweet and savory food, as well as TV viewing. This may be seen as an extreme measure and case of OCD as far as his dedication to his training ideals go.
3. Sports pre-performance tactics: In the movie, we have been shown myriad sports pre-performance tactics that are used by the best sportspersons the world over, in order to achieve their goal. This kind of pre-performance is especially important in physical pursuits because it helps in aligning the brain with the body by removing all distractions. Most sportspersons have various routines that may involve breathing exercises or listening to a pep talk, or even a certain kind of music so that this kind of a mindset sets in and they single-mindedly focus on the music, talk or breathing in order to remind themselves of what they are to do on the field.
4. Dealing with failure: This is of major importance. In the movie, we find that one of the characters misses the Olympic medal by a whisker due to an unfortunate incident. Yet, this must not be seen as a deterrent. The sports person has to remember that at the end of the day, his or her hard work, sweat and turmoil is the ultimate trophy or medal, rather than the physical manifestation of the same. The fact that he or she has managed to rise to that kind of physical stamina and endurance in the field is in itself a prize that shows how far he or she has come from all other professionals in the same field. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychologist.