History
is
created
in
several
ways.
One
of
them
is
cinema.
And
if
Rakeysh
Omprakash
Mehra's
Bhaag
Milkha
Bhaag
seems
like
a
near-flawless
homage
to
the
flying
spirit
of
India's
greatest
runner,
it
is
partly
because
the
story,
so
nimbly
woven
into
a
pastiche
of
drama,
emotion,
humour
and
pathos
by
Prasoon
Joshi,
is
in
no
hurry
to
keep
pace
with
the
onscreen
Milkha's
breathless
sprint.
The
story
of
super-sprinter
Milkha
Singh
unfolds
in
this
exceptional
biopic
at
its
own
volition.
There's
no
effort
here
"to
tell
a
story",
to
create
an
impression
or
to
whip
up
a
dramatic
storm
to
captivate
audiences.
The
synergy
in
the
storytelling
seems
subliminal.
Still,
we
the
audience,
fed
week
after
week
on
mediocrity
masquerading
as
cinema,
are
riveted
to
the
story
of
Milkha
Singh
for
over
three
hours
of
playing
time.
How
come?
Well,
to
begin
with
it
is
Milkha
Singh's
own
powerful
life
as
India's
superstar
sportsperson
that
sweeps
us
into
the
biopic.
Milkha
was
so
poor
he
couldn't
afford
running
shoes,
and
when
he
got
them,
he
didn't
know
how
to
run
in
them.
When
milk
was
offered
in
the
army
in
exchange
of
running
practice,
he
grabbed
it
(the
run
and
the
milk)
with
both
hands.
A
victim
of
India's
brutal
partition,
Milkha's
story
was
waiting
to
be
told.
And
thankfully,
no
one
before
Mehra
saw
cinematic
potential
in
his
story.
If
Milkha's
story
had
to
be
told,
the
storyteller
had
to
be
a
master
craftsman,
and
one
who
doesn't
waste
space
in
self-congratulatory
flourishes.
With
immense
help
from
Prasoon
Joshi,
Mehra
harnesses
Milkha's
life-story
into
an
experience
that
is
pure
cinema
and
yet
undiluted
and
uncompromised
by
the
mandatory,
often
silly,
illogical
and
idiotic
semantics
of
mainstream
commercial
cinema.
The
absolutely
seamless
editing
by
P.
Bharathi
is
impressive.
The
film
is
very
stylishly
cut,
but
not
at
the
cost
of
losing
the
simplicity
and
the
innate
ascetism
of
the
sportsman-hero.
And
yes,
there
are
songs
composed
by
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy,
but
they
are
so
effortlessly
woven
into
Milkha's
saga
that
we
don't
see
them
as
"song
breaks".
This
is
as
good
a
time
as
any
to
tell
you
that
Farhan
Akhtar
does
the
Bhangra
as
well
as
any
Punjabi.
Actually,
he
doesn't
dance.
He
just
flows
with
the
rhythm.
I've
never
seen
any
actor
dance
with
such
rhapsodic
abundance.
Neither
have
I
seen
any
actor
run
like
Farhan.
I
don't
know
how
fast
Milka
ran,
but
Farhan's
Milkha
doesn't
fake
it
for
even
a
second.
When
he
runs,
he
really
runs.
When
he
stumbles
and
takes
a
fall,
we
flinch
and
wince
in
our
seats.
Farhan's
body
language
and
emotions
and
expression
as
Milkha
is
pitch-perfect.
Farhan
doesn't
'play'
Milkha.
The
actor
occupies
Milkha's
mind,
body
and
soul.
There
are
episodes
in
this
astonishingly,
well-structured
biopic
where
Farhan's
oneness
with
Milkha
equals
Ben
Kingsley's
empathy
with
Mahatma
Gandhi
in
"Gandhi".
This
isn't
just
a
film
about
a
sportsperson
who
brought
untold
glory
to
our
country.
Bhaag
Milkha
Bhaag
is
the
story
of
an
individual's
journey
from
nullity
to
pinnacles
of
success
in
a
world
where
politics
and
violence
are
constant
reminders
of
how
little
an
individual's
aspirations
matter
in
the
larger,
often
murkier
scheme.
In
Prasoon
Joshi's
interpretation
of
Milkha's
amazing
success-story,
yearning
is
the
cornerstone
to
achievement.
In
1947,
when
India
became
two
nations,
we
see
little
Milkha
(Jabtej
Singh)
run
for
his
life
to
escape
the
savage
butchery
that
snatches
away
almost
his
entire
family.
Only
his
dear
sister,
played
wonderfully
by
Divya
Dutta,
remains.
As
we
see
it,
Milkha
never
stopped
running
since
the
partition
trauma.
The
'run'
as
a
metaphor
of
life's
expedient
circumstances,
runs
through
the
narrative.
Happily,
the
screen
time
is
as
much
taken
up
with
Milkha's
record-breaking
achievements
on
the
field,
as
it
is
with
vignettes
from
his
personal
life.
There
is
a
robust
heartwarming
romance
between
Milkha
and
the
vessel-friendly
'kudi'
Biro
(Sonam
Kapoor,
looking
prettier
than
ever).
The
writer
and
director
invest
inexpressible
warmth
in
the
protagonist's
courtship
scenes.
We've
seen
this
kind
of
love
blossom
on
Punjab's
soil
before.
But
it
still
feels
special
and
unique.
Farhan
does
the
rest.
And
he
gets
tremendous
support
from
other
actors,
specially
Divya
Dutta,
who
is
incomparably
sincere
in
her
role.
Pavan
Malhotra
as
Milkha's
coach
is
as
usual,
first-rate.
Unlike
other
period
films
in
recent
times
which
have
conveniently
and
lazily
resorted
to
antiques,
artefacts
and
vintage
songs,
the
1950s
in
Bhaag
Milkha
Bhaag
simply
and
effortlessly
emerges
from
the
character
and
his
milieu.
Binod
Pradhan's
camera
glides
across
Milkha's
inner
and
outer
world,
and
telling
it
like
it
is.
There's
a
complex
design
to
the
seeming
simplicity
of
this
saga
of
a
simple
Sikh
who
would
guzzle
two
cans
of
ghee
on
challenge
and
run
to
the
winning
post
on
feet
mauled
by
jealous
rivals.
Who
said
life
could
ever
be
easy
for
those
who
aspire
to
fly
higher
than
the
rest?
The
beautiful
irony
of
Milkha
Singh's
life
that
this
consummate
biopic
captures
so
ably,
is
that
he
really
didn't
aspire
to
anything.
He
ran
simply
because
he
had
to.
The
rest,
as
they
say,
is
history.
Bhaag
Milkha
Bhaag
is
the
kind
of
cinema
that
doesn't
tempt
us
to
share
the
protagonist's
life
with
any
false
hopes.
We
the
audience
are
driven
into
a
desperate
urge
to
share
Milkha's
life
not
only
because
he
ran
fast,
but
because
he
wasn't
afraid
to
stumble,
falter
and
fall.
Ironically,
this
film
on
Milkha
rarely
slips
up,
if
ever.
At
one
point,
in
an
under-punctuated
flashback,
we
hear
Milkha
confide
in
his
sweetheart
that
he
would
like
the
government
to
declare
a
national
holiday
in
his
honour.
I
recommend
a
national
holiday
for
the
entire
nation
to
go
and
see
this
movie.
It
makes
the
other
recent
high-profile
acclaimed
films
look
hopelessly
inadequate.
IANS
Bhaag
Milkha
Bhaag
BMB
is
an
Indian
biographical
sports
film
based
on
the
life
of
former
Indian
athlete
Milkha
Singh.
Rakeysh
Omprakash
Mehra
The
film
has
been
produced
and
directed
by
Rakeysh
Omprakash
Mehra
on
a
script
written
by
Prasoon
Joshi.
Movie
Cast
BMB
stars
Farhan
Akhtar,
Sonam
Kapoor
and
Meesha
Shafi
in
the
leads.
BMB
Movie
Bhaag
Milkha
Bhaag
is
the
kind
of
cinema
that
doesn't
tempt
us
to
share
the
protagonist's
life
with
any
false
hopes.
We
the
audience
are
driven
into
a
desperate
urge
to
share
Milkha's
life
not
only
because
he
ran
fast,
but
because
he
wasn't
afraid
to
stumble,
falter
and
fall.
Final
Verdict
I
recommend
a
national
holiday
for
the
entire
nation
to
go
and
see
this
movie.
It
makes
the
other
recent
high-profile
acclaimed
films
look
hopelessly
inadequate.