Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: Movie Review

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: Movie Review

 By Harsh

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Divya Dutta, Prakash Raj, Sonam Kapoor, Pavan Malhotra.
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Producer: Viacom 18, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Paan Singh Tomar and The Dirty Picture were some really good efforts to recreate the lives of those memorable people hailing from India. But Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is definitely the best. Period. Much was expected from this biopic and it rightfully delivered. Looks like Farhan Akhtar‘s hard work paid off and the movie just cannot be missed!

Plot: The movie starts off with the Rome Olympics of 1960, showcasing the heroic efforts of the legendary Sikh. Milkha kicks start the race and after leading it for almost 3/4th of it, he gets lost in the thoughts of his parents’ tragedy during the India-Pakistan post partition riots and finishes at fourth place. The movie constantly swaps time zones, helping us to know more about Milkha’s life and not just about his career. We see the little Milkha and his troublesome childhood after being separated from his parents and the hardship he goes through because of his elder sister, Divya Dutta’s husband. We see the young Milkha who grows up gambling and stealing coal from local trains and selling it off for some cash.

He then falls in love with Sonam Kapoor and decides to do something in life.  He promises Sonam that he would come back to her after becoming something and there he is, recruited for the army. And gradually, grabs the opportunity to become an athlete for the Army unit. After intense training and some really hard work which is shown brilliantly, Milkha Singh wins the gold in Asian and Commonwealth Games and achieves the title of ‘The Flying Sikh’, given to him by the then Pakistan General. The movie is very enthralling and depicts the story of Milkha beautifully. It is a perfect showcase of The Flying Sikh and his extraordinary achievements while retaining an old world charm.

Technicality: To start with the background score, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have done a terrific job especially with the introduction of Farhan Akhtar. The music just creates the kind of atmosphere the movie requires. Energetic, patriotic and proud. The direction and screenplay are just impeccable. Dialogues in the movie are also pretty good, providing a hint of comedy whenever needed. The movie runs for about 3 hours and little did I feel they dragged it.

Actor’s take: Farhan Akhtar. Farhan Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar. This man could and I believe should win several awards for his performance in this film. He has donned the character of The Flying Sikh with perfection. The way Farhan Akhtar ran in real life, his hand movements, his physique, his expressions and his finishes were exactly the same as what Milkha Singh actually did. His performance is power-packed and just exceptional. Divya Dutta, who plays the role of the elder sister of Milkha has done a great job. Although Sonam Kapoor’s role was only for 15-20 minutes but she pulls it off pretty nicely with her innocent smiles. Prakash Raj, Pavan Malhotra and Dalip Tahil are all unmistakable, convincing in their respective roles but I’d still say Farhan Akhtar stole the show, which was of course, expected.

Rating: 4/5

Harsh also writes for Bollywood Celebden, a premier source of Bollywood news, gossips, and movie reviews.