I must tell you that I have not watched the movie yet. I have, however, heard of this controversy. In the movie, the father tries to show the girls a dream and pushes them to achieve it. Along the way, the two girls face hardships but the father stands by them and helps them to see a different world than what is traditionally envisaged for women. I really believe that it is a very inspiring movie. If it was about a girl who has many problems with her family and she goes against all odds to achieve her dreams, that can be a feminist movie, like what is shown in Bend It Like Beckham. If a father is helping the daughter achieve her dreams, we can’t call it patriarchy. It also helps her become stronger and I really feel more women must have their own dreams.

Challenging patriarchy and breaking boundaries need not be done in a particular way. There was a newspaper article about a girl who had to attend a marathon. Just a day before, she got her periods and she chose to run without sanitary napkins. It created such a scandal. She said she couldn’t have run with a napkin on, thus breaking a barrier. I see many young feminists who feel there is only one way to challenge patriarchy, which shouldn’t be the case. We have a reform movement and it is spearheaded by men. Men have always come before women, even before the feminist movement was born. Today, when we look back we call them patriarchal, but at that point these men had empowered women.—Flavia Agnes, Women’s rights lawyer

The movie sent shivers down my spine when I watched it for the first time. It had literally given me goosebumps because I could relate to everything in that film, be it the father’s support or the girls’ passion to achieve their dreams. I believe parents should motivate their children to pursue their dreams, because it feels so good when you achieve it — which makes you proud. After watching Dangal, many of my female friends have started taking an interest in wrestling.—Akanksha Ramchandra Patil, Wrestler

Many parents do tend to impose their dreams on their children and it is in many ways reinforcing the norms. Billions of engineering graduates never wanted to do engineering in the first place. They have done it only because their parents forced them to. Not letting children realise their own dreams and imposing parental wishes is a cultural norm. In the movie, the father’s role is complex and it is not just a simple kind of patriarchy. He is shown to be affectionate; a man who is failing and not quite a perfect father. Sometimes parents decide their children’s dreams and goals based on their desires by telling them what they should do and what their options are. The film certainly reinforces that. It normalises parents’ right to tell their children what to do and what not to. It may be inspiring to some people. I did feel it was a powerful film and I am not dismissing it at all. But, when you put all this in a larger perspective, the film does reinforce those patriarchal norms. Girls breaking regressive norms is not new. There have always been these extraordinary women like Jhansi Ki Rani. Patriarchy has no room for extraordinary women.—Anjali Monteiro, Professor at School of Media and Cultural Studies, TISS