It is an undeniable truth that every life is an unfolding story with a fair share of twists and turns, highs and lows, delights & disappointments. Yet, not every life becomes a story that is told & more importantly listened to & passed on, for most are mired in the miasma of banality of daily living. It is in this key denominator, that the life stories of heroes and superheroes differ significantly.For these are the people who have confronted their crippling challenges and have managed to overcome them. In doing so, they remain a beacon of hope and inspiration to the millions of others who are confronted with challenges of their own.
In Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, noted filmmaker Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra (Aks, Rang De Basanti & Delhi - 6) brings to the silver screen, the life of independent India's earliest sporting hero, Milkha Singh aka the Flying Sikh.
Bio-pics are an uncommon genre among typical Bollywood fare, more so, when they involve sporting heroes. Bio-pics aren't easy to make either. It is one thing to identify the story to be told and quite another to bring a real life story to screen. Added to this, is the herculean challenge of presenting it in an entertaining package which would draw in the audience and keep them engrossed in these times of fleeting attention spans.
Perhaps, it was only fitting that the story of one of India's greatest sporting talents was to be helmed by a maker of the calibre of Mehra, who had earlier successfully brought to screen, the life of Bhagath Singh & his comrades, in a very contemporary take that had struck a chord among viewers across the country in his RDB.
Milkha Singh is that rare Indian sporting legend who rose to fame despite not being associated with cricket - the great opiate of the teeming masses of this least sporting of populace. Now, when Bollywood - the other & perhaps, greater opiate of the teeming masses - chronicles his lifestory, it is, in a way, a form of poetic justice.
For a nation of a billion plus individuals, it remains a travesty that we rarely ever produce athletes who shine in individual events internationally. Milkha Singh was one such rare talent who proved his mettle in the international arena and rose to great heights in an era when media coverage merely meant an occasional live relay over All India Radio or BBC and sports column of various dailies unlike these days of 24*7 media and instant stardom. It is, but a sad truth that, if not for this movie, his name would've remained unfamiliar with most citizenry of this nation.
Born in pre-independent India, in what is now Pakisthan, Milkha Singh is forced to witness the slaughter of almost his entire family in a carnage that followed the Partition and is forced to escape to Delhi as a refugee. He is deeply scarred and suffers the pain from these wounds which fester long after he becomes an international athlete of repute. He is supported by his doting elder sister and her abusive husband. After an initial fling as a petty thief to scrounge for a living, he enlists in the army where he is identified as a born athlete by his first coach who trains him and nurtures his ambition of representing India. The rest of the story narrates the several challenges, faced by him, enroute to acheiving sporting glory and how he overcomes them by his sheer hardwork and determination.
Farhan Akthar plays Milkha Singh with a rare dedication seen on Indian screen and appears to have undertaken this assignment with all the seriousness of a saintly penance seeking salvation. He is utterly convincing in every frame and brings in an effortless charm to the part. His well toned muscular physique and the manner in which he sprints like a man possessed, speak volumes on the meticulousness of his preparation for the part which one normally associates with a Daniel Day Lewis or to some extent, with Kamal Hassan. I sincerely hope such hard work receives all the credit/laurels/awards, it so richly deserves.
There is also an able supporting cast in the form of ever-dependable Divya Dutta, Pawan Malhotra and Prakash Raj. It is a sad travesty of our Indian cinema that such rich talents like Divya Dutta and Pawan Malhotra get a meaty role so rarely that one feels that such occasions need to be celebrated like some festival. The three leading ladies, if you can call them that, Sonam Kapoor, Rebecca Breeds and Meesha Shafi do not have much to do except adorn the screen for a few fleeting moments. Dalip Tahil plays, nay, hams the part of Nehru with a clunky accent.
The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is pretty good, especially the energetic 'Zinda' and the romantic 'Mere Yaar'. Yet, being an ardent Rahman fan, I wonder why Mehra had to settle for someone other than Rahman for this film, especially given the fact that Rahman has given some of his best albums for Mehra's earlier movies (RDB & Delhi-6) which added a nuanced dimension to them and lifted them to another level.
Despite being earnest to a good measure, the film suffers in moments when it tries too hard to manipulate as in the sequence where a badly injured Milkha runs in a race with heavily bandaged barefeet with the bandages coming undone before the finish line. I felt such scenes belonged more in a eighties tear-jerker. The film could also have benifitted from some crisper editing which could've whittled the length by a good 15-20 minutes.
Overall, despite its flaws, this movie remains a good attempt and worth watching, principally for the outstanding performance by Farhan Akthar who has poured his heart and soul into his part, in bringing to life the inspiring story of one of India's greatest sporting legends - an unsung hero.
A MUST WATCH !
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