In an era of biopics, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has come up with the real life story of former Indian Olympic athlete Milkha Singh. The movie speaks about his life and all the struggles he had to go through to become India’s most popular athlete ever. Starring the super talented Farhan Akhtar in the lead role, BMB also has Sonam Kaooor and Yograj Singh in other lead roles. The movie has hit the screens today and let’s see how it is.

Story :

Milkha Singh (Farhan Akhtar) loses all his family, apart from his sister Isri Kaur (Divya Dutta) in the 1947 partition. He possesses an in-born talent of running which is unveiled while he goes on to pursue his childhood dream of joining the army.

While in the army, he keeps remembering the love of his life, Nirmal Kaur (Sonam Kapoor), whom he has promised to come back after he achieves something big. Milkha runs in an indoor running competition for a glass of milk and is selected for a national level championship.

After facing a number of hardships, Milkha goes on to win medals after medals at various international championships. One fine day the sprinter is appointed to head a friendly tournament between Indian and Pakistan. Milkha bluntly disagrees to be a part of it.

What is reason behind his disagreement ? and with this decision what new turns will his professional and love life take? That forms the rest of the story.

Positive Points :

First and foremost, I would like to take a bow to Farhan’s rigorous training to achieve a body so overwhelming. He looks, walks and talks like a true athlete. His performance is not just jaw dropping but also his best works till date. Apart from Farhan, actors like Pavan Malhotra and Yograj Singh give stunning performances.

The movie is an in-depth biopic of the legend and talks all about his struggle, defeat, victory, love-life and childhood efforts. The director has covered even the tiny details of his life.

The running sequences in BMB are executed in the best way possible that even the audience in the theater would start cheering for Milkha.

Negative Points :

After a super hit and impactful film like Rang De Basanti, one would expect a lot from Rakeysh Mehra‘s direction in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. But sadly he brings forth nothing but predictable turns and unnecessary emotions.

Divya Dutta’s character in he film makes you feel bad for her as the poor girl does nothing but cry. Sonam Kapoor on the other hand rarely has a dialogue. All I can remember her saying is ‘Ji’. She looks beautiful though.

The frequent flashbacks of Milkha’s devastating childhood and his over emotional relation with his sister displays an overindulgence of drama. The romantic sequences between Farhan and Sonam is absolutely unnecessary and incomplete.

Pace of the movie is way too slow and takes for ever to finish. Even the length does not help either as many scenes could have easily been chopped off. First half of the film is too slow and meaningless as the Flying Sikh doesn’t start flying until the interval.

Technical Aspects :

Even though some of the songs in the movie are worth a listen, they just don’t fit in the plot. An emotional moment is made even more emotional with the insertion of a slow song.

It is only by the second half that the story starts getting a little interesting and starts concentrating on the character’s professional journey. Prasoon Joshi’s writing is excellent and he shows off his creative mind once again with this one.

The background score by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is apt and sounds authentic. Cinematography by Binod Pradhan is top-notch as his camera covers the village as well as the stadium sequences in the right way. Editing by P S Bharathi is again sharp and intelligent.

Verdict :

On the whole, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag offers nothing new for the audience. The in-depth aspects of Milkha Singh’s life in the first half will probably bore you t the core. The film takes for ever to finish, but the visual treat that Farhan gives with his performance is the one to watch out for.

Movie Rating: 2.75/5