Babita Phogat Reveals Shocking Details About Dangal Deal Despite Film’s ₹2000 Crore Success

Babita Phogat became an overnight sensation after a Bollywood film based on her life was made. The film, titled Dangal, starring Aamir Khan in the lead role, grossed over ₹2,000 crore globally. However, the family that inspired the story was paid only ₹1 crore for the rights to their story by the film’s producers—Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, and Siddharth Roy Kapur—under Aamir Khan Productions, UTV Motion Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures India.

In a recent interview, Babita Phogat revealed that after the film’s success, her request for assistance in building an academy in her village was ignored by the producers. Speaking with News 24, Babita openly discussed the making of Dangal and how the filmmakers were inspired by their family’s story.

She recalled, “Nitesh Tiwari first narrated the story to us. At that time, they didn’t even know who would be cast in the roles. My entire family was very emotional. When I first saw the film, it felt like I was reliving my childhood. I became emotional.”

When asked how much she was paid for selling the rights to her story, despite the film earning ₹2,000 crore worldwide, Babita responded, “I didn’t receive a large amount. It was quite a small amount. You might be surprised to know that after the script was written, there was even a discussion about removing my name from the film. They wanted to change the name of my character.”

When further questioned about the payment, Babita humorously asked, “What’s 1% of ₹2,000 crore?” The interviewer responded, “₹20 crore.” Babita laughed and asked, “And what’s 1% of ₹20 crore?” The interviewer replied, “₹20 lakh?” Babita concluded, “Well, not that low, but around ₹1 crore.”