Review by: Faisal Saif
In the past number of times, We have witnessed many biographical films on several personalities. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is another sports film on the former Indian athlete Milkha Singh. The film has been brought up by the same team (Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Prasoon Joshi) who gave Rang De Basanti. Rand De Basanti was also semi-biography of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag follows the story of Milkha Singh (Farhan Akhtar) and his entire journey from his childhood to the success. Milkha Singh loses his family during the riots of Partition which was of course the scariest phase of our country. The last words Milkha’s father were “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag“. The film is about relations, courage and human spirit. The film also talks about Milkha Singh’s never ending love for Nirmal Kaur (Sonam Kapoor).
The film depicts the Flying Sikh’s journey from the road of hurdles to success.
Farhan Akhtar plays the part of Milkha Singh, And he has given his best shot till date as far the performance is concerned. The actor takes up the challenging opportunity of portraying the most demanding role of his career with lots of efforts. Sonam Kapoor is equally good and performs her part in full comfort zone. Pawan Malhotra as Milkha’s tutor is extra-ordinary. Prakash Raj as the coach is simply superb. Divya Dutta as Milkha’s sister is powerful. Dalip Tahil is a surprise as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The only bad actor we have in this film is Meesha Shafi as Perizaad. She literally hams in her scenes. At the same time, Australian actress Rebecca Breeds is wonderful.
As I pointed out, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra along with Prasoon Joshi brings a film which is a biography. The film is also a good educational entertainer. But the only hitch according to me is the film’s duration. There are some unwanted scenes in the film which makes the narrative too long. The cinematography by Binod Pradhan is striking and marvelous which gives an international feel. The editing is good but needed some more effort. The production value is good at the same time. The film has wonderful background score that keeps you hooked to the screenplay. The songs however are not that good what Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra films used to have.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a wonderful effort and there is no doubt about it. But the long duration may stand out as an enemy for the film. Another drawback as business point of view may be the starting of Ramadan month. The film is a fantastic educational entertainer that deserves a watch.
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor, Dalip Tahil, Prakash Raj, Divya Dutta
Directed by: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Ratings: 3.5/5
[…] “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag“, the Farhan Akhtar-starrer biopic on former ace athlete Milkha Singh, clinched the maximum number of trophies at the 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 here Friday night. It won the best film, best actor for Farhan, as well as the best director for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. The movie was also honoured for best costume by Dolly Ahluwalia, best production design by Acropolis Design and best lyrics for “Zinda“, penned by Prasoon Joshi. (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({}); […]