Dramatic heights!

Rating: 6/10 (13 July 2013)

A chiseled body covered by a sweating vest, a coveted coat of a national hero worn with pride and honour,a rowdy youth, sweet little romantic tracks, and a scar from the post- partition tragedy deeply rooted in our lead character's mind - that's ample opportunity to show one's acting prowess and commitment .In fact its a role of a lifetime and Farhan owns it for sure but the same cannot be said about the makers who give us a film though entertaining and inspiring, doesn't quite hit the perfect notes.
Celebrating the life of India's national treasure Milkha Singh, this epic drama tries hard to influence the viewers with its melodramatic sequences of events but eventually falters due to this very obsession. In fact the movie had everything going for it right from a cast of good character actors, a riveting premise as a backdrop and the magic wand of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. What it needed was a little heed to what Milkha Singh's coach says - 'bus sone ko tarashna hai'.Here the efforts seemed to have gone a little haywire resulting in an unfocused storytelling of this important saga.Much effort has been put in making the audience feel each emotion that when it works you feel like clapping just like at the climax or feel a lump in your throat particularly in the sequences between Milkha Singh and his elder sister. But when it doesn't, say during the pre- interval sections, you might get a little edgy and restless at your seat.
The background score, the cinematography and camera work are top notch. The music is good and blends well with the narrative. But the movie could have done with some sharp editing. With more than 3 hours of running time, some scenes are dragged a tad too long without adding anything to the narrative.
There are some wonderful performances by Pavan Malhotra, Prakash Raj, Divya Dutta,young Jabtej Singh and others who enact their roles to perfection evoking tears and laughter at various stages. Sonam Kapoor as Milkha Singh's love interest looks good in a cameo.. But its Farhan as the flying Sikh who awestrucks you with his earnest performance and surpasses expectations.. The efforts invested in his looks, his carved body, the training sessions he undertook to run like he did speaks volumes about his commitment.
The movie may be a little exaggerated and overdrawn, but barring these hiccups the biopic is pleasing to the eyes and is inspirational in talking about the indomitable human spirit.. For me, it just falls short of Paan Singh Tomar,last year's offering from the same genre.
Not entirely a disappointment but certainly below expectations .A beautiful performance by Farhan and the spirit of Milkha Singh saves the day though for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.