New Delhi, India

Indian politician turned wrestler Babita Phogat has taken a dig at producers of Aamir Khan starrer Dangal after lifting the lid on the amount her family was paid. The news comes a day after fellow wrestler Sakshi Malik accused Babita of plotting the wrestler’s protest against then-WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan. According to Babita, her family received only INR 1 crore ($119,000) while the film earned a whopping INR 2000 crore ($238m).

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Babita lifts the lid

The film released in 2016 was a biopic on wrestler Babita’s father Mahavir Singh Phogat who was played by veteran actor Aamir Khan. The film made rounds at the box office earning INR 2000 crores ($238m). However, according to an interview given to News 24, Babita and her family were paid a low sum of INR 1 crore ($119,000). This is less than one per cent of the total amount at the box office. The deal was cracked when Aamir Khan was yet to be a producer with Nitesh Tiwari leading the role behind the curtains.

“My father (Mahavir Singh Phogat) had said only one thing – ‘We want people’s respect and love. Leave everything else’,” Babita said.

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Babita on the mat in another controversy

Babita has been in the headlines for the last 24 hours after she was accused of plotting the wrestler’s protest against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan. Both Babita and Sharan are part of the in-power BJP, but friction could arise if the allegations are proved against the veteran wrestler.

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“Babita Phogat approached us with the idea of protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh because she had her own agenda — she wanted to become the WFI president. There are rumours that Congress supported our protest, but that’s false. In fact, two BJP leaders helped us secure permission to protest in Haryana – Babita Phogat and Tirath Rana,” Sakshi claimed on Tuesday (Oct 22).