It was Friday, and somehow, we got lucky and found a good movie to watch. Even though there are so many options to watch, not many movies are worth watching. God knows how many times I stopped watching movies because I got bored, or how many times I asked my husband how many minutes are left. It was an Indian movie, which was called “Dangal.” It was worth watching because it was a real-life that we could find something from our childhood, family life, social life, and culture. During the movie, I wanted to stop it many times to tell my husband similar stories that I experienced as a Turkish girl.
What is more, I loved watching their family life, which was quite similar to mine. The dad’s goal was to have a son, and he ended up having four daughters. What a shame, but it used to be a bad thing for a man not to have a son. He used to be wrestler, and he had to give up on his dream for financial reasons. But if he had a son, his son could have achieved what he could not.
Later on, he found out that his two daughters could also fight as good as boys. So, he trained them to become wrestlers. In India, it is similar to Turkey; girls need to look pretty, learn housework, get a good education, and find a good husband. So, becoming a wrestler for a lady was a curse and socially unaccepted. These two poor girls didn’t want to become wrestlers, but they had to because they had the greatest respect for their father. They could not say no, even though they hated cutting their hair short, waking up early for the training every day, and feeling humiliated at school and in the neighborhood.
Similar to my childhood, we used to do what our parents asked us to do without questioning them. Sometimes, we wanted to question them, but we never wanted to disappoint them. It was the lifestyle we had twenty years ago.
We had a family bound and huge respect for our parents. My dad didn’t have to talk, with his one look we would know what he meant and acted the way he wanted.
Needless to say, we rarely talked back to our parents. I must admit that not every decision they made was perfect for us, or sometimes their strict rules shook our self-esteem. Especially as a teenager, we would see what other kids had, the lifestyle they were allowed to live, and the opportunities they were provided. There were days we felt humiliated, there were days we lost our confidence, but who we became today are the results of the tough childhood, and the discipline our parents provided for us.
I have three sisters, and they all have kids. However, their children’s attitudes aren’t even close to what I had imagined. When I see my nieces and nephews, I feel very disappointed by the way they talk to their parents, and how they spend their time. I try to remind my sisters and even their children that we used to share our books, and we used to wear the same shoes all year along. I would worry about telling my dad when I needed a new pair of shoes. I wouldn’t want to be another burden on his shoulder.
Sadly, when I heard last year my elder sister spent a whole day to find a school bag for her daughter because her daughter didn’t like any of the options she saw, my heart ached. I felt more disappointed in them and shocked at how things changed.
This is totally different than the way I was, and my sisters were raised. At a very young age, we knew what our parents could afford and what they couldn’t afford. I still remember how hard they worked to send us to the University. Some things could have been better because not only did they put so much pressure on us, but also, they put so much pressure on themselves. We always appreciated what we had, and we always understood their challenges.
So, this beautiful movie made me appreciate the childhood I had. When I watched the movie, I felt the struggle these two little girls had, and also I observed the deep love and respect they had for their dad. It was very inspiring. I want to raise my kids the way I was raised. I want my kids to feel deep respect for us and their opportunities. I also want them to appreciate what they have. I want them to understand they aren’t entitled to have anything. If they want something, they have to work hard for it. This is my ultimate goal.
Overall, this beautiful movie took me back to my childhood. I hope we can find more realistic and meaningful movies like Dangal. To me, it was a well-spent 2 hours, 49 minutes. It may feel quite long. However, the story was lovely, and I could watch it longer. Later on, I found out that It was based on a real-life story.
It is one of the best movies that I‘ve watched this year. I rate it as 10 out of 10, and my husband rate it as 8.
I’m a Project Manager with a deep passion for both professional and personal growth. Designing and building the next generation of vehicles is incredibly rewarding, but it comes with its challenges—especially for someone as emotionally invested as I am!