Aamir Khan is known for doing films with an underlying social message of late, be it Taare Zameen Par, Rang De Basanti, 3 Idiots, PK or Dangal. Recently, his superhit film 3 Idiots (which broke all box-office records) completed 8 years, and I have to say that I personally didn’t like the film very much. Firstly, it gave students who were not interested in studies a license to chase their dreams even though they didn’t have enough conviction or a safety net to do so. Impractical advice, basically. Wanting to become a wildlife photographer and thinking that studying is useless because there’s nothing about wildlife photography in it, is a recipe for a potentially disastrous future. There’s a reason why parents warn against it. They have seen the world more clearly, and only wish the best for their child.
In Dangal, he showed us the real thing that parents should do, and we think that it is a much finer film than 3 Idiots. So without further ado, let’s look at how Dangal’s Aamir Khan contradicts the message given by 3 Idiots.
He sees their talent and makes them wrestle despite their wishes
3 Idiots preached so much about how children should be given a choice to do whatever they wish to. Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir) won’t have any of that. He wanted his two daughters to fulfill his dream of bringing India a gold medal, and made them wake up early in the morning and learn the basic tricks of their trade despite their lack of interest. Like they say, he was a Haanikarak Bapu.
He doesn’t let them get discouraged by their failures, and pushes them to the extreme till they succeed
When Geeta and Babita started wrestling, they were unable to find their feet and struggled against a male opponent who wasn’t even a wrestler. Aamir didn’t give up and made them stronger. In 2 Idiots, such a character would have been made fun of like they made fun of Boman Irani’s character.
He doesn’t give them any sunshine or rain, just a blueprint to work their guts out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZu3bXWhnX4
3 Idiots was full of students cribbing about how engineering was ruining their life. In Dangal, Aamir doesn’t care about whether wrestling was ruining their life, because he was convinced about helping them realize and reach their goal. Indeed, wrestling is a way tougher field to make it big than engineering, so all you engineers reading this, know that you have it easy.
He keeps Geeta grounded even when she finds success
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-LltgOtFSg
Aal iz not well, when it comes to Dangal’s Aamir Khan. The tiniest of changes, the minutest of details – nothing escapes the perfectionist’s notice. Even when Geeta has a bad coach, he doesn’t let her accept and chill, but teaches her to fight right and thrive.
He settles for nothing but the best
3 Idiots glamourized academic failure because well, isn’t life meant to be enjoyed? For Dangal’s Aamir Khan, life is not about chilling, but about conquering and winning. You don’t win the silver, you always lose the gold – that’s the attitude champions need to have.
