Sushil Kumar in a still from the Dangals of Crime trailer. (Photo: Discovery+) Discovery+ on Friday debuted the investigative docuseries Dangals of Crime – The Untold Truth About Indian Wrestling. The series traces the meteoric rise of wrestling in India, and also explores the dark underbelly of crime often associated with it.
Former wrestlers and coaches, eminent sports journalists, and law enforcement officials weigh in with their experiences, insights, and memories in the two-part Dangals of Crime.
By far India’s most successful individual sport in terms of medals won at the Summer Olympics (seven), wrestling’s popularity reached a crescendo after Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt won three medals collectively across two successive games (Beijing 2008 and London 2012). Kumar is being investigated in connection with a murder case.
The docuseries, produced by Vice Studios Production and directed by Niyantha Shekar, showcases this journey towards success and highlights the deep-rooted ‘akhada’ culture, strict discipline and the unparalleled devotion that goes into making a champion wrestler. Among notable former coaches and wrestlers featured in the series are Satbir Singh, Virender Kumar, Anil Mann and Ramphal Mann.
Wrestling went mainstream in pop-culture after the release of Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal, which told the story of champion sisters Geeta and Babita Phogat. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Dangal is the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, unadjusted for inflation.
True crime is a relatively untapped genre in Indian streaming, despite its success internationally. Last year, Netflix debuted three shows–Bad Boy Billionaires, House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths, and Crime Stories: India Detectives.
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