Panga (transl. Clash) is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language sports film directed and co-written by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and produced by Fox Star Studios, based on a script written by her and Nikhil Mehrotra, with Nitesh Tiwari providing additional script inputs. Kangana Ranaut and Jassie Gill star in the lead roles, while Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta, Richa Chadha, Megha Burman and Smita Tambe appearing in supporting roles.
Shot largely in Panaji, Bhopal, Mumbai and Kolkata, the film was released in India on 24 January 2020. The film received positive reviews, praise for Ranaut’s performance, and grossed ₹41.71 crore. For her performance in Panga, Ranaut won a National Film Award for Best Actress at the 67th National Film Awards, 2021. This was Ranaut’s third win in the category and overall her 4th National Film Award.
Summary
Rooted in the subculture of societal facts, Panga is an emotional roller coaster tale of a middle-class Indian woman, where a forgotten Kabaddi world champion catalyzes an inner desire to give a new meaning to her existing role as a wife and mother and takes an ingenious decision to come back to the sport despite the challenges of age stereotypes and new generation complexities which creates an upheaval in her life as she is torn between societal pressures of family responsibility and love for the sport.
Plot
Jaya Nigam is a middle-class railway reservation counter clerk and former Kabaddi champion living with her husband Prashant Sachdeva, a railway section engineer, and 7-year-old son Aditya “Adi” Sachdeva, in Bhopal. Despite the support of both Prashant and Adi, she regrets having to quit the sport after Adi’s birth. Learning of her achievements through Prashant, Adi pushes her to return to the sport despite facing challenges of physical fitness and newer, more experienced players, while her friend, former teammate, and Kabaddi coach Meenal “Meenu” Singh, helps her with the training. Initially unable to deal with the pressures of a hectic job and the exercise routines that Adi’s enthusiasm pushes her through, she finally regains composure and, with support from Prashant and Adi, goes on to mark her comeback to the sport as a mother of a 7-year-old after her story gets noticed again. In the big finale, she wins the Kabaddi cup for team India.
Cast
- Kangana Ranaut as Jaya Nigam Sachdeva, a kabaddi player
- Jassi Gill as Prashant Sachdeva, Jaya’s husband, a railways section engineer
- Richa Chadda as Meenal “Meenu” Singh, Jaya’s best friend, former teammate, and a kabaddi coach
- Neena Gupta as Rachna Nigam, Jaya’s mother, Prashant’s mother-in-law, and Adi’s grandmother
- Yagya Bhasin as Aditya “Adi” Sachdeva, Jaya’s and Prashant’s son
- Megha Burman as Nisha Das, Jaya’s present teammate
- Rajesh Tailang as Mr. Sinha, Indian National Coach
- Smita Tambe as Gauri, Indian team captain
- Lavish Anil Jain in an uncredited cameo appearance
- Manoj Jadhav as selection executive
- Piyush Seetha as Piyush, Jaya’s assistant boy
Production
Development
Panga was announced on 21 August 2018 with Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari sharing an emotional Instagram video montage of herself, Kangana Ranaut, Jassi Gill, Neena Gupta and their families, indicating that “when your kin stands behind you, no one in the world can take ‘panga’ with you”. Ranaut told the Mumbai Mirror in an interview: “When Ashwiny narrated the film’s story, I was completely moved. My family has been my pillar of strength and has always stood by me through thick and thin. I could really relate to the emotions of the film. Plus, Ashwiny is known for her slice-of-life films and I loved her recent work in Bareilly Ki Barfi. Panga is even more special for me as, for the first time, I will be playing the role of a national-level kabaddi player. That’s going to be challenging for sure! I am looking forward to some exciting times with Ashwiny and the Fox Star team.”
Gil,l who is playing the role of Ranaut’s husband in this film told the Mumbai Mirror: “I loved the script, especially the inspiring family angle. The film is a roller-coaster of emotions but to me the real Indian family feeling was the most heart-warming part of the subject. Since I come from a very close-knit family, I could identify with the story.”
Training
The actors appearing in the film as kabaddi players, including Ranaut, underwent training in kabaddi for over two months.
Filming
Filming began on 23 March 2017 in Panaji. The first schedule of the film was wrapped up on 7 December 2018. The second schedule of the film was wrapped up on 22 June 2019. The director planned next schedule in a Delhi stadium in April. The third schedule of shooting began in April 2019 in Delhi. The Delhi schedule of the film was completed in mid April and next schedule of shooting to begin in Kolkata. The filming was completed in mid July 2019. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, the director of the film wrote on her Instagram account, “My dearest Panga Humans are the sun. The sun that spread a ray of hope when things seem really impossible to achieve.”
Marketing and release
First look of the film was shared by the director of the film Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari on 7 March 2019, a still photo in which leading pair is laughing while looking at the sunset.
The first look poster of Ranaut was released on 19 December 2019.
The film was released in India on 24 January 2020.
Soundtrack
| Panga | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy
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| Released | 21 January 2020 | ||||
| Recorded | 2018–2019 | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 23:55 | ||||
| Language | Hindi | ||||
| Label | Saregama | ||||
| Producer | Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Meghdeep Bose | ||||
| Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy chronology | |||||
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The film’s music is composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy while lyrics are written by Javed Akhtar.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Panga – Title Track” | Harshdeep Kaur, Divya Kumar, Siddharth Mahadevan | 3:19 |
| 2. | “Dil Ne Kaha” | Shahid Mallya, Asees Kaur | 4:46 |
| 3. | “Jugnu” | Sunny Hindustani, Shankar Mahadevan | 4:40 |
| 4. | “Bibby Song” | Annu Kapoor, Sherry | 2:50 |
| 5. | “Wahi Hai Raste” | Mohan Kannan, Asees Kaur | 4:28 |
| 6. | “Dil Ne Kaha” (Reprise) | Jassi Gill, Asees Kaur | 3:52 |
| Total length: | 23:55 | ||
Box office
Panga earned only ₹2.70 crore at the domestic box office on its opening day. On the second day, the film collected ₹5.61 crore. On the third day, the film collected ₹6.60 crore, taking total opening weekend collection to ₹14.91 crore.
As of 28 February 2020, with a gross of ₹34.43 crore in India and ₹7.28 crore overseas, the film has a worldwide gross collection of ₹41.71 crore.
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10.
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | hideRef(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | National Film Awards | Best Actress | Kangana Ranaut | Won | |
| 2021 | Filmfare Awards | Best actress | Kangana Ranaut | Nominated | |
| Best supporting actress | Richa Chadda | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Archit Patel, Jay I. Patel | Nominated |