New Delhi: Aamir Khan’s 2016 film Dangal took the global Box Office by storm. Based on the real-life story of wrestler sisters Geeta and Babita Phogat, the film brought them to the forefront. Dangal amassed over Rs 2070 crore worldwide, as per industry tracker Sacnilk. However, you will be surprised to know that the Phogat family did not get enough royalties to sell their story rights to the makers.
In an interview with News 24, former wrestler Babita Phogat made some shocking revelations about the makers of Dangal and Aamir Khan. She revealed that it was Nitesh Tiwari’s team who contacted the sisters after reading an article about them by a Chandigarh-based journalist. While the director wanted to make a documentary on them, he later revealed that he wished to make a feature film on the duo.
Babita Phogat’s shocking revelation
She further went on to reveal that when she first saw the film, she felt like she was reliving her childhood and it made her entire family emotional. Surprisingly, when she was asked about how much the makers of Dangal pay her for selling her story rights, Babita quipped, “I didn’t get a lot of money. I got very less money. 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.”
Furthermore, Babita revealed that when they went to Aamir Khan’s show Satyamev Jayate, the actor’s team contacted them and stated that they wanted to change the characters’ names in the film. However, her father Mahavir Singh Phogat refused and asked them to use the original names instead.
How much money did Babita Phogat get from Dangal?
When asked about the amount she received for Dangal, the former wrestler replied by questioning how much 1% of Rs 2,000 crore would be. The interviewer calculated it as Rs 20 crore. She laughed and followed up by asking what 1% of Rs 20 crore would be. The interviewer guessed Rs 20 lakh, but she clarified that it was closer to Rs 1 crore.
Babita also shared that after the success of Dangal, her dad spoke to Aamir Khan’s team and requested them to help in opening a Wrestling Academy in Haryana. However, they never reverted back.
About Dangal
Dangal is a 2016 film directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, and Siddharth Roy Kapur under Aamir Khan Productions, UTV Motion Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures India. Fatima Sana Sheikh played the role of Geeta Phogat, meanwhile, Sanya Malhotra portrayed Babita Phogat. The film also starred Sakshi Tanwar, Aparshakti Khurrana, Zaira Wasim, Ritvik Sahore and the late Suhani Bhatnagar.
