Bollywood biopic 'Dangal' gets a B
Dangal tells the story of a former wrestler, played by Aamir Khan, who pushes his daughters to take up the traditionally male-dominated sport of wrestling.
A biographical film about an Indian man who allowed his daughters to defy gender norms, training them to become world-class wrestlers, has become China's top-grossing non-Hollywood foreign film of all time.
Bollywood movie Dangal or Let's Wrestle, Dad in China, has raked in more than 643 million yuan (RM400.81mil) on the mainland since it was released on May 5.
The film beat out the Japanese anime hit Your Name, which has earned nearly 566 million yuan (RM352.83mil) since its release on Dec 2 last year, according to box-office monitoring site Maoyan.com.
Dangal's success follows a string of other Bollywood films that have won over Chinese audiences in recent years.
The Indian film industry's previous biggest hit on the mainland was PK, a science fiction comedy released in 2015, which took in 118 million yuan (RM73.55mil). The first Bollywood film said to have broken the "great wall" of the Chinese movie market was 3 Idiots, released in 2011 which earned 14 million yuan (RM8.72mil).
In Dangal, Khan stars as a former wrestler who hopes to have a son who can fulfil his dream of winning a gold medal for India. But his dream is dashed when his wife gives birth to four daughters. He eventually starts coaching two of the girls in wrestling, subjecting them to harsh training and strict discipline, including keeping their hair short, contravening social norms.
The film is based on the true story of Geeta Phogat, who won India's first gold medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and became the country's first woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics two years later.
Most Chinese moviegoers appeared to be thoroughly won over by the film.
"Many domestic movies go for big scenes and dazzling special effects but fail to touch you inside ... This is a five-star movie," wrote one internet user under the name Anomyme on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.
Even before the movie was released on the mainland, Internet users were eagerly anticipating its arrival, with video clips of Khan preparing for the role making the rounds on Chinese social media. They showed him gorging to develop a paunch for his character, and then subjecting himself to intense exercise to produce rippling abs and biceps to portray the protagonist at another stage of life.
Viewers heaped praise on the Indian superstar, calling him "India's national treasure" and lauding him for his dedication to his art.
Chen Xiaoxia, who said she became a fan of Khan after watching 3 Idiots and PK, took her six-year-old daughter to the 140-minute Dangal in Beijing.
"The movie was very long, but there wasn't a single second in which I felt bored. I laughed and cried and had so much to think about afterwards. The movie is touching on so many levels," she said.
"Khan's performance as a strict father reminds me so much of fathers in China, who seldom display their emotions and hide their profound love for their children behind a straight face and tough training." – South China Morning Post
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2017/05/23/bollywood-biopic-dangal-gets-a-hold-on-chinas-box-office/#kSmvfWSRIUVJi2O3.99
