Milkha Singh is a world renowned athlete but why does his feet shiver at the prospect of venturing into Pakistan for a friendship game. BMB unfolds the painful journey to glory of this Sikh athlete.
Director Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra's biopic looks promising at times, but doesn't have the potential to keep you hooked to your seats for a three hour plus drama. We come across the traumatic past of Milkha Singh and why he panics when he hears ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'.
Mehra narrates the detailed sequence of events in the athlete's life. From his teenage days, when he journeys across the lake for studies, to the grim struggle which finally resulted him being hailed as a ‘Flying Sikh'. From his battle for a morsel of meal during the 1947 India-Pak Partition riots, to the harassment he went through in his military campaign.
The problem here lies in the execution of these phases. We aren't blaming the cinematography which is brilliant, but the uninvited melodramatic treatment in those sequences hurts the flow of the truly inspiring tale of an athlete.
With an extra bunch of emotions, BMB doesn't makes you feel sympathtic towards Milkha even after knowing the painful journey he had in his initial days. At one point during the India-Pakistan partition riots, Milkha finds his missing elder sister. Her sister cries out of happiness but the scene is so long and tedious, that even she doesn't have any option except to go overboard to drag us in her emotional encounter. There are more of those encounters between the duo.
The athlete's practice and the competition are portrayed resourcefully but again, there are characters such as the Indian athlete coach played by Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj Singh who tries too hard to be a hardcore coach but ends up with some odd expressions on his face. There are other characters too, who look inspired by the 80's era of Bollywood.
The attempt to influence Milkha to go to Pakistan, which could have been stressed upon, doesn't convince us. However, the riveting encounter there makes you feel proud to be an Indian.
