Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Review)

Rating: Null/10 (12 July 2013)

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Review) – The movie which released its trailer in November last year alongwith Reema Kagti's 'Talaash' has finally hit the screens. 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is a biopic on the life of the legendary Indian athlete Milkha Singh. Produced by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra himself under his banner ROMP, the movie had created huge expectations.
Farhan Akhtar plays the role of Milkha Singh accompanied by Sonam Kapoor. The movie begins with a race in the Rome Olympics of 1960 in which Milkha singh loses the gold medal within touching distance as he is reminded of the day when he lost his family during partition. The story begins later when Pakistan would have invited India for an Indo- Pak sports meet for which the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru nominates Milkha Singh as the leader of the Indian contingent. Milkha Singh played by Farhan Akhtar denies to go to Pakistan. Milkha's coach then narrates the whole story of Milkha Singh and the reason behind him denying to go to Pakistan. The story of Milkha and his life forms the remaining part of the movie.
'Bhaag Mlkha Bhaag' though assumed as a movie based on sports and athletics, it cannot be put under that genre, as sports though evident throughout the movie is only a part of it. This movie mainly revolves around the story of Milkha Singh, his childhood, growing up days and until he became a legend that he is today. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has depicted all the nuances quite well on screen, for example the scene where people would have come to India from Pakistan after partition. Even though the length of the movie is a massive 3hrs and 8 mins, it never makes you feel restless or bored even for a minute courtesy a tight and well written script and screenplay by Prasoon Joshi. The music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is worth appreciating as the songs Zinda and the rock version of the title track stand out. Maston ka Jhund is another track which will keep you humming after listening to it multiple times. The cinematography is neat. The races have been captured well.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag lacks the goosebump moments that sports movies usually comprise of. However, you never feel the absence of it as the performances by the actors keep you engrossed. Farhan Akhtar who plays Milkha Singh seems to have got into the skin of the character as his performance and efforts put in to build a chiseled physique like that of an athlete is clearly evident on screen. Sonam Kapoor does not get a lot of screen space but has done a decent job for whatever little time she is seen on screen. Prakash Rai plays his small role of a strict army officer quite well. Divya Dutta who plays Isri Kaur, the elder sister of Milkha has done a brilliant job. There are a couple of magical moments in the movie. Farhan's performance in a scene where Milkha runs a race with an injured leg to break the national record is brilliant. Another scene is in which Divya Dutta expresses her happiness upon receiving a pair of golden ear rings from Farhan is worth savouring.
Lastly, director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has done a good job in depicting the life and times of Milkha Singh on screen. However, picturising a couple of songs could have been avoided to shorten the length of the movie. On the whole, 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' as a movie is good and worth the money you spend. However, the overall experience of watching this inspired tale could have been a bit more inspiring. My verdict : 7/10