Bhaag Milkha Bhaag - A review

Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra comes into his original self  after a disaster called 'Dilli 6'. Farhan Akhtar shows what getting under the skin of a character means. I met a few kids of the age 13-16 and they described the movie as 'awesome'. When a 14 year old kid of today's generation says that a sports based movie is awesome and my dad says the same thing - we do know that we have a big winner on hand.

I was taken aback by the article written by Shoba De in Times of India on Sunday. She says Milkha failed his countrymen and this was a story about failure. This got me thinking and I decided to write my thoughts about the movie. It will come as no surprise to anyone that I do not agree with Shobha De's version.

Milkha did not win in Rome Olympics but is respected even today - after 53 years of the event in which he did not win ! You call that a failure ? Do we call PT Usha a failure when she lost the race by a hundredth of a second in Olympics ? So rare are these moments that we Indians feel proud by these achievements even though medals didn't come home. We admire these sports-persons for reaching so close.

The narration of the film is brilliant as this failure to win a medal in Rome is dealt right in the beginning of the movie. This clears the decks for storytelling about a man who has won more races for India than anyone else. The tension of Rome is not there while preparation for the event is taking place - as it has already been dealt with in the opening scene. This is the brilliance of screenplay. We come back happy from the theatres as Gen Ayub Khan gives Milkha the title of the 'flying sikh.' I am happy that this was a 'feel good' film and not a 'feel bad' film as many would have liked it to be.

Over the years I have asked many people who followed 1960 Rome Olympics about how they felt at that time. I had even asked my grandfather way back in 70's about it. They all have said the same thing ; that they were disappointed that Milkha had not got a medal but had been proud as he had broken the Olympic record.'

Shobha De also writes : We get to watch endless reels about his childhood and traumatic past, in which Milkha was orphaned as a child during the grisly Partition, forced to flee his village after watching his father, brother and two sisters being butchered. All this is, of course, vital to the main story. But, hello? What is that story? Is it about a winner who overcame tremendous odds to emerge as a world record holder? Or is it about a man who broke under pressure, glanced over his shoulder and lost the Big Race? Worse, is it merely a jingoistic movie about Indo-Pak rivalry with a trite ‘mine-is faster than- yours’ finale?

Do we mind all those flashbacks and those reels? Could 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' be just about training and Olympics and winning and losing ? What would be this movie without the growing up years before the army years? He was a petty criminal from childhood to youth - wasn't that an important aspect of the film ? What would this movie be without the massacre at the time of partition and the camps of Purana Quila ? How does a director show all this if he doesn't go into flash backs ? Did Shobha De want a simple narration starting with childhood and ending with the loss at Olympics ? Would that have worked ? I don't think that would have worked at all. Indo-Pak rivalry gives movie the' feel good' ending which I mentioned earlier. This kind of a film deserved a feel good end where the audience go back feeling happy. Shobha De should once again watch the film with real audience in a theatre and she will know how people are loving this film.

Rakeysh OmPrakash Mehra had used flashbacks very effectively in Rang De Basanti. He used it to great effect in this movie. Not even once did I feel that the flashback was intruding into the story telling. You are chilled to the bones when you put yourself in the child's place and share his suffering. We have heard these kinds of stories from our very own relatives. My grandfather had come with his family from Sialkot to Ambala at the time of partition. The coolie took away the bag in which his money and ornaments were kept.He had a family to support in an unknown land. He went back to Sialkot in those murderous times to get more money which he had hidden somewhere. He succeeded.
He used to tell me about horrors of Partition which he had witnessed with his own eyes.
Yes, I can identify with these stories.

Farhan has done a fabulous job as Milkha. Many a times he looks just like Milkha used to in his younger days. The intensity in this performance has to be awarded and rewarded . The first reward would be the cash registers ringing at the box office. Then the trophies should follow. It would be interesting to hear in detail about the making of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. When you are playing a part of a living legend, you have to be more than perfect. The fact that Milkha has praised Farhan's performance , this could be an ultimate reward.
The music grows on you. This music makes the movie a complete package. I loved the songs more after I watched the film. Now I am listening to them in the car all the time.

I have met Milkha Singh many times as he was my father in law's friend. I have had a few drinks with him a couple of times as well. He may have won most of his races but this loss of Rome rankled. He once talked about this loss and to ease the mood his friends  joked with him that he looked back because he was a 'surd.' In Punjabi all this sounded very funny and there would be laughter all around. He didn't mind this joke at all but the hurt remains inside him.
At a time when his son Jeev was not winning anything, Milkha had full confidence in his son. When I asked him the reason for Jeev not winning any worthwhile Golf tournament for 7 years, Milkha said that he knew his son and it was just a matter of time. In the words of Milkha " He is my son and I know he has hunger. Those who have this hunger will always win." Sure enough , Jeev won in Japan and then went on to win some big tournaments.
When you are walking down the 18th fairway on Delhi Golf Course towards the clubhouse, you can make out the erect figure of Milkha Singh standing on the terrace outside the pub. He is always impeccably dressed and stands erect, and from a distance of 400 yards you know who it is. A very keen golfer he comes to meet his friends at Delhi Golf Club whenever he is in Delhi.
Milkha Singh made a wise choice with the director. The director made a great choice with the actor. Sonam plays her part to perfection and we keep yearning for her more. Many critics say that the movie is too long. I don't think this movie is long at all. Time was of essence to tell a good story. This movie should be seen by everyone in India. We don't often make good films about our heroes.