An epic tale of epic exaggeration which sadly turns into an epic disappointment of epic proportions

Rating: 6/10 (16 July 2013)

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a landmark film. It will go down in the history of Hindi Cinema with the unique distinction of having the longest slow-mo sequence. In Rajeev Masand's words (on the final scene): "Never before has slow motion and background music been so abused in a film!" Nothing works for the film. Absolutely NOTHING. It's an epic tale of epic exaggeration which sadly turns into an epic disappointment of epic proportions. Despite the repeated use of the word 'epic' in the last sentence, the contours and essence of the word fall short of the amplified excesses in the film. Overdose of melodrama, overwrought with jingoism and fabricated self-indulgences, trapped in a deeply flawed screenplay with out-of-sync songs and desperate attempts at emotional manipulation. Farhan's eye-gasmic photoshopped abs, bandages flying off and blood oozing out, coaches doing bhangra on an athletics ground, Divya Dutta's glycerine-soaked eyes. Yawn. Dilip Tahil is good. One of India's greatest character actors, Pawan Malhotra stands out, far above the rest. National Award winning Prakash Raj successfully sheds off his Bollywood stereotype tag of the garrulous villain. Prasoon Joshi may be one of the finest lyricists of our generation, but he fails miserably as a scriptwriter. Farhan Akhtar, however, deserves accolades for his sincerity. He sparkles in bits, but although he replicates Milkha's body, he fails to do the same with his soul. The Flying Sikh deserves a better homage. Much, much better.