Maps of Movies
Dangal (2016)
Where Dangal says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
The Haryana village wrestling story was filmed in Punjab, Pune and Delhi, and the Games arena in the film is not the one used in real life.
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Scenes and places
The wrestler who quit
Mahavir was a national champion, but his father pushes him to take a steady job, because wrestling pays no money. He gives it up and vows that his future son will win the gold medal he never got. Then four daughters are born, and he starts to think the dream is over.
Set in Balali village, Haryana — The Haryana village where Mahavir Singh Phogat grew up as a national wrestling champion. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A village in Haryana, the home state of the real Phogat family.
Filmed at Akhada Leel, near Toosa village, Ludhiana (Punjab villages, Ludhiana, India) — Shot in the second schedule for the scenes of the young Mahavir. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The mud arena at dawn
Geeta and Babita beat up boys who insult them, and Mahavir sees the gold medal he wanted in his daughters. He wakes them for early-morning drills, cuts their hair short and trains them in mud, while the village talks. With no money for a proper mat, he has to teach them on mattresses.
Set in Balali village, Haryana — Mahavir turns his own home ground into a training camp for his daughters. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Rural fields and village lanes where the film shows daily wrestling practice.
Filmed at Dango (Dangon) village, Raikot, Ludhiana (Punjab villages, Ludhiana, India) — Where the first schedule shot the school and village scenes. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Filmed at Gujjarwal village, Ludhiana (Punjab villages, Ludhiana, India) — One of the Ludhiana villages given a Haryanvi look for the film. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Filmed at Narangwal village, Ludhiana (Punjab villages, Ludhiana, India) — One of the Ludhiana villages given a Haryanvi look for the film. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Filmed at Kila Raipur (Qila Raipur), Ludhiana (Punjab villages, Ludhiana, India) — Another of the Ludhiana villages used for the Balali scenes. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Winning the state and national titles
Geeta turns out to be a prodigy and wins both junior and senior state and national championships. Her father's hard training is finally paying off in the ring. The titles earn her a place at the national academy.
Set in State and national tournaments — The tournaments where Geeta wins junior and senior championships, with no single named venue in the plot.
A venue for state-level and national sporting events, here standing in for the film's tournaments.
Filmed at Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi (Talkatora Garden, New Delhi, India) — Wrestling sequences were shot here on 19 January 2016; the source does not say which tournament they stand for. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The national academy and the new coach
Geeta trains under Pramod Kadam, whose methods differ from her father's, and she starts losing abroad. After a visit home she makes up with Mahavir. When the coach puts her in a lighter weight class than her usual one, Mahavir moves to Patiala and keeps coaching the sisters in secret.
Set in National Sports Academy, Patiala — The sports academy in Patiala where Geeta trains for the Commonwealth Games under a new coach. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A city in Punjab with a national sports institute. The academy in the film is shown with a different name.
Filmed at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune (Balewadi, Pune, India) — The crew filmed in and around the stadiums here; the source does not say which scenes. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Filmed at Symbiosis International University, Pune (Symbiosis campus, Pune, India) — Some portions of the film were shot on this campus; the source does not say which. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The 2010 Commonwealth Games (2010)
Geeta competes in her 55 kg class and, against her coach's instructions, follows the tactics her father taught her. Mahavir is barred from the academy and can only guide her by watching her matches on tape. It decides whether his years of training were worth it.
Set in Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi — The Delhi arena that hosted wrestling at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The arena where wrestling was held at the 2010 Games; the film shot at a different Delhi complex.
Filmed at Thyagaraj Sports Complex, New Delhi (INA Colony, New Delhi, India) — The crew shot the Commonwealth Games and National Games sequences here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Characters
- Mahavir Singh Phogat — A former national wrestling champion from Balali, Haryana, who trains his daughters to wrestle.
- Geeta Phogat — Mahavir's eldest daughter, a prodigy who goes to the national academy to train for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
- Babita Phogat — Geeta's younger sister, who wins the national championship and joins her at the academy.
Questions answered on the map
- Where was the young Mahavir's village wrestling filmed?
- Which Punjab villages stood in for Balali in Dangal?
- Where were the wrestling bouts in Dangal shot in Delhi?
- Where was the national academy in Dangal really filmed?
- Where was the Commonwealth Games final in Dangal shot?