The poster for Aamir Khan’s Dangal was shot by renowned photographer Avinash Gowariker, who is responsible for some of Bollywood’s finest portraits and motion picture posters. In a recent interview, he disclosed that the image contains a significant error that no one noticed. The movie’s poster featured Geeta and Babita in both their youthful and old movie personas. The story revolves around wrestler Mahavir Singh and his daughters.
In conversation with Midday, the photographer averred, “Dangal poster is a very special poster. Actually if you go to look at that poster, you don’t realise that it’s a wrong poster. Because you see, Aamir is with four girls, it’s the same Geeta and Babita young and old. They never are together in a single frame. But the integrity of the shot is such that no one questioned the poster ever.”
Aamir, who played the role of Mahavir Phogat, received nothing but praise from Avinash, “Aamir was sitting in the center and he was so much into his character, unbelievable. Film is about wrestling, action. But when you see the poster, there is nothing.” “It is about the relationship of the father with his daughters and the part of the film which is young, is as important as part of the film which is old.” Avinash further mentioned, “That’s why both the ages are there in the same poster but there is one father.”
In 2016, Dangal was made public. The adult Geeta and Babita were portrayed by Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh, while the younger Geeta and Babita were Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar.