When was the last time you saw a theater full of people cheering an athlete on screen like they would in a stadium? Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s homage to India’s foremost track and field champion is an evocative triumph that successfully portrays the essence of Milkha Singh – his scars from the Partition, his poverty, his life of crime, his loving but broken heart and his outstanding athletic ability on the field.
The film begins in medias res, with the ill-fated Rome Olympic 400m final, in which Milkha Singh finishes 4th, a result that is attributed in the film to a recurring reminiscence of his past. In the aftermath of that race, Milkha is reluctant to travel to Pakistan for a friendship series due to the scars he bears from the time of the Partition. As a group of people travel to Chandigarh from Delhi to try and convince him, his entire story emerges in a non-linear fashion. What follows is a masterful peeling of Milkha Singh’s persona, layer after layer until his wounded core is left exposed. Whether he is able to treat that wound and exorcise those ghosts is what the film tries to explore.
‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ combines the best qualities of the biopic and sports genres. Great biopics are about capturing the essence of the person and great sports films are about showing the growth of the athlete despite the odds until their biggest challenge faces them. Prasoon Joshi’s wonderful script portrays the flawed character of Milkha and is careful not to blindly deify him. The non-linear nature of the story allows a viewer to understand the context behind his decisions and his personality – a penchant for running since childhood, a life of crime taken up to overcome poverty in the refugee camps of Delhi, a life of crime given up to become worthy of a girl he loved, a burning passion to succeed on the field driven by an urge to run away from his past, to earn respect, to be the best he can be.
Omprakash Mehra’s direction leaves you spellbound from the start. His filming of the running sequences is realistic and captivating as is his intelligent use of graphic novel-inspired sequences to showcase Milkha’s ghosts. He maintains a sense of balance and avoids any temptation to over-dramatize any sequence. His showcasing of Milkha’s Partition experience is a master class. Binod Pradhan’s cinematography intersperses current with the past superbly and gives you a distinct view of different phases in Milkha’s life. Where the movie suffers is in the pre-climax where Mehra seems to lose a bit of steam – the train journey from Delhi to Chandigarh seems unending at times. The music of the film is energetic with the wonderful guitar riff on ‘Zinda’ setting the tone for some hard-core passion and athleticism.
Farhan Akhtar can easily be called the Warren Beatty of Hindi cinema. He has excelled in all aspects of film-making and in this film stakes claim to be called a first rate actor. In a genre of mainstream cinema where larger than life actors try to portray everything from college kids to nuclear scientists while changing nothing about themselves, Akhtar has worked tremendously hard to portray both the emotional and physical dimensions of Milkha and the results show. He looks every inch a sprinter and shows excellent running technique. He is ably supported by Mehra regulars like Nukkad’s Pawan Malhotra and Divya Dutta with inspired cameos by Prakash Raj, Yograj Singh and, hold your breath – Art Malik, the big-eyed villain in ‘True Lies’ as Milkha’s father.
‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ is one of the best biopics you will see. Don’t miss it.
