‘Bhaag
Milkha Bhaag’, the dialogue resonates around the theater various times and
justifies the title of the film. Based on the life of the Flying Sikh, this
film rotates all around him and portrays his tale of grief, sorrow, love, his
grit and passion, and his success.
Narrated
in the form of a story by Milkha’s coach, this film moves various times into
the past and back again, covering the dismal childhood, the vibrant teens, and
the best of all, the story of his victory. But, even with this movement and
change of tense, this film does not confuse you with the feeling of ‘What is
happening?’.
One
of the other positives of the movie is the star cast. Playing the lead role of
Milkha, Farhan Akhtar does not look his 40 years, and portrays him perfectly
with an athletic body, super fast running, and the attitude of a winner. Along with
him, the highlight of the film is Japtej Singh, who plays the role of Milkha as
a child. Well, calling Sonam Kapoor as the lead actress of the film would be
wrong as she just appears for a brief time; and matter of fact, Divya Dutta had
a larger role, which brought out the feelings of a sister to perfection.
The
races are filmed very well, with slow motion lining them- sand and gravel
flying, Milkha’s eyes on the track and his slow overtaking of the others and
him winning at the finish. A short sequence of gruesome blood and bodies may
work to distract a viewer, but are completely necessary to bring out the
hardships which Milkha faced as a child. The inclusion of 2 sequences involving
the love life of Milkha are distractive as well, but these may have been
included as they may have played a major role in Milkha’s life.
One
more highlight of the film is the music. Both the songs, and the background
music are gripping. With small breaks for just a couple of songs, the film runs
on and on without intrusions, and maintains a steady focus on the life of
Milkha Singh.
The
end is strong as well, with Milkha accomplishing his goal of shattering the
world record, that too in a place which was his Achilles’ Heel- Pakistan; and
him receiving the medal and a title of the ‘Flying Sikh’ from the Pakistani Commander.
Plus
Points: A good end; almost no breaks for songs; great star cast; good
screenplay; and exceptional background scores.
Minus
Points: The length may be a factor as the film stretches for over 3 hours, yet
is gripping and does not let loose its hold on the viewer; the use of a
stretched romance sequence involving Sonam Kapoor (Bijo) and Milkha would work
to throw attention away from the main story.
On
the whole, this film is a good watch, and should be included in your watch list
if legends do interest you.
3.5*/5
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