Director Nitesh Tiwari and the writing team penned not one, but five alternative endings for Dangal, ensuring a lasting impact on audiences

CJ Desk

Game Changers, hosted by film trade analyst Komal Nahta, continues to deliver engaging conversations with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. The podcast delves deep into their work and beyond, offering valuable insights. In a recent episode, National Award-winning filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari revealed that while writing Dangal, he and the writers faced a challenge—audiences knew Geeta would win the gold medal, and they needed to make the story more engaging.

On Komal Nahta’s Game Changers podcast, Nitesh Tiwari explained, “It was very alarming for us as writers because the audience knew Geeta was going to win the gold. Now, how do we make it a little difficult or different for the audience? So, when what is known, how becomes important.”

The filmmaker further elaborated on how they decided to keep Mahavir Singh out of the finals and wrote five different versions of how that could happen. This twist shifted the focus for the audience—not on whether Geeta would win, but on how she would win without her father’s presence.

He continued, “We decided Mahavir Singh cannot be there, he has to be outside. So, we wrote five different versions of what could keep him out. And then we finally agreed to this one as it was paying off for the national anthem. So, the audience would not think that Geeta would win gold, but they would think about how she would win when Mahavir Singh is not there. That was the whole idea—to keep him out of the finals.”