Do not walk ... RUN to "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag"!

Rating: 10/10 (15 July 2013)

An extraordinary film.
In one sense a biopic of a real historical person – Milkha Singh, 'The Flying Sikh', the orphaned emigré (from the terrible Partition riots that followed the creation of independent Pakistan and India in 1947) who rose to become India's first world-record setting athlete – this movie gives its audience so MUCH more, in so many ways.
On an individual level, the Hindi film "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" (2013) takes over from the Stallone classic "Rocky" (1976) as a great sport-based 'triumph of the human spirit' story. Yet at a global level this film also succeeds as one of the best movies yet made about the Partition, which inspires much-needed emotional healing for both nations. Many countries, actually, could benefit from this film's message.
(The title – 'Run Milkha Run', in English – were Milkha's father's final words.)
Farhan Akhtar  phenomenal!
Mr Akhtar's mindblowing performance here as the title character will make you forget, for a time, that he is also one of India's best directors. (And a producer. And writer. And lyricist. And singer. None of which hats he wears here.) "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" proves that Farhan Akhtar, at 39, has matured into one of the world's finest living ACTORS.
He has brought the same honesty, subtlety, and power to this role, as an actor, which audiences have come to expect as a trademark of the films he directs or produces. Mr Akhtar engages you completely, from the opening frame to the last. You will laugh. You will cry. You will think. You will feel inspired to fly.
"Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" soars on the wings of Farhan Akhtar's performance.
The sheer  physicality  deserves special appreciation. It is no easy thing, for any mere actor to physically embody a career athlete. Mr Akhtar reportedly conditioned and trained for 18 months, to transform his body and his whole manner of movement. The result is on the screen: you will believe you are watching a world champion runner.
It's an extra plus that Mr Akhtar, the actor, does so strongly resemble the real Milkha Singh – in build, body type, and the bones of the face – as the historic photographs shown over the end credits clearly reveal.
The supporting cast are uniformly excellent, but I single out these four for special notice.
Veteran character actor Pavan Malhotra gives a career-breakthrough performance as Gurudev Singh, the army coach who first introduced young Milkha Singh to competitive running. He becomes the audience point-of-access to Milkha's whole backstory.
UK-based Pakistani-born actor Art Malik receives – and earns – third star billing, despite limited minutes. As Milkha Singh's father, his character is long dead and only appears in the 1947 flashback sequences. But Mr Malik so deftly projects an intriguing multi-dimensional character that his image, his presence, linger in the mind long after he has faded from the screen.
Divya Dutta as Ishri Kaur, Milkha's sole surviving sister. Brilliant! Emotional touchpoint for the whole audience, on both the individual and societal levels.
Last but certainly not least: newcomer Japtej Singh, who plays Milkha as a child. Merges perfectly with Mr Akhtar as the adult Milkha; you believe one would grow into the other. Most natural and 'genuine' performance by any child actor that I had seen in years. (May this be the beginning of a long and great career for young Mr Singh!)
Chief among technical departments, the strong story structure of "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" is a huge plus. The filmmakers chose an unusual starting point to begin telling their story: what might be thought the greatest failure of Milkha Singh's career. (Breaking his own world record, but only finishing 4th – out of the medals – in the 400 meter run at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.) But through deft intercutting between the then-present and selected flashbacks to Milkha's backstory, the film builds to an unexpectedly powerful climax that emotionally satisfies while inspiring on both personal and global levels.
Special credit: without diluting the emotional horror of Milkha's childhood experiences during the Partition, visual horror is kept to a minimum. A very difficult balance to keep, but successfully achieved here. (Note to Parents: film does contain one disturbing image of an athletics injury.)
The taut script by Prasoon Joshi and crisp editing by P. S. Bharathi elevate "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" by an order of magnitude above director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's earlier movies (such as "Rang De Basanti" (2006) which, though fresh and original, was comparatively unfocused and sprawling in its storytelling technique). "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", by comparison, is so tightly written and well paced that I never even noticed the three-hour length, the film runs so fast and so smoothly.
The music – by Shankar Ehsaan Loy – is so good, so inspiring, that I rushed straight out to buy the soundtrack music CD immediately after leaving the movie!
Pretty easily, "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" is THE BEST film I've seen from anywhere in the world thus far in 2013. (This statement includes the Oscar holdovers from year 2012.) Will prove to be a landmark film in world cinema.