Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (or ROM as he seems to be calling himself these days) does it again, after faltering in his last disaster, Delhi-6, a couple of years back. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is an outstanding movie that, like Rang De Basanti, reminds you of your Indian-ness in a true, right-at-the-heart sort of way. Only an Indian could have enjoyed RDB. In a similar way, BMB is again exclusively Indian. And that makes the film special and ours. We once again see a refreshing intensity juxtaposed against simple story-telling, the same ingredient that made Rang De Basanti, the phenomenon it became.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is the simple story of a simple guy from a simple farming family in Multan, that gets uprooted during the partition and after growing up amidst the squalor, humility and misery of a refugee camp in Punjab, finds a life-changing love (Sonam Kapoor), that leads him into the righteous path of a proper career in the army, where he finds his true calling as an athlete, a sprinter, a 400m champion. He wins, he loses, he wins again. But above all, he fights. Fights real hard.
It's the story of a legend who, for all of my generation, was a household name. We've all grown up knowing, admiring and aspiring to be the first fastest runner that India knew. There is only one Milkha Singh, and this movie tells the most definitive and involving story of his life.
One of the reasons why this movie works is because at the heart of it, it is the human ‘ideal’ that we all aspire to. The story of an ordinary guy transforming into an extraordinary hero, through sheer grit, hard-work and a pig-headed obsession with his ambition. It's the great Indian story that we all (want to) believe in. And indeed have believed in, while growing up. And that's why Milkha's story resonates so powerfully with us. It's the ultimate human story of man's victory over his circumstances, his fears, his baggages, and his distractions, to become the most superhuman form of his own self.
This is also a story of emotions & the resilience that comes inspite of (or because of) the emotional journey you’ve been through in your life. The emotion of being haunted (all your life) by the image of the horse-riders that slayed your entire family (which incidentally looked too similar to Frodo being chased by the Nazguls!). The emotion of being displaced from home and living like a refugee, while also dealing with the emotions of your sister, who is trapped & tortured in an unhappy marriage. The emotion of not being able to marry the one you love, the one you have waited for years to get together with. The emotion of being the star champion of the India team in the first-ever international event (Olympics 1956) but then failing miserably even before the event begins, just because of a momentary distraction (who can blame him for one beery pub evening in Melbourne!).
The other reason why BMB works is because of its timing. It couldn’t have been a moment sooner. At a time, when every day the front page news reminds us of everything that is wrong with the country, here is a movie that reminds us of the things that are right, and what it takes to make it right, if it’s not. The good old fashioned Nike philosophy ‘just bloody do it’.
And ofcourse finally and perhaps as important as ROM in this movie is the man himself, Farhan Akhtar (I saved the best for last). Farhan is brilliant. He IS Milkha Singh in the movie, without an iota of doubt. He is not the urbane cool Aditya of Rock On. He is not the ambitious new actor Vikram of Luck By Chance. He is not the neurotic Karthik of Karthik Calling. He is not the fun-loving playboy of ZNMD. He is Milkha out and out. Even his six-pack (or 8-pack or whatever-pack) is Milkha and forms a part of the character he becomes, of his determination, his perseverance & his sheer courage. Farhan puts out an exemplary performance, emoting as much with his face, as much as with his dialogues. You can see the pain on his face every time he remembers the partition massacre, you can see his love for his sister every time he is just near her (Divya Dutta, who also delivers an excellent performance), you can see the dogged rage on his face, every time he is challenged by the erstwhile Indian champion or by the Pakistani champion. In Farhan, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has found his alternative for Aamir. After being disappointed by Abhishek in Delhi-6 (just like we all were), ROM has found his alternate man.
The sound-track, by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, while not the one to hum along in your car, works beautifully in the movie in lifting the movie. Where words feel incomplete in expressing the emotion of the moment (or when Sonam Kapoor inadequately tries to emote), the sound-track completes it and does the job.
There are a few things though that don’t work for the movie. One, is the length. It is a really long movie, and while it’s credit to the screenplay that it keeps you mostly hooked, it still is a story that could have been told in lesser time. The stretching angst of Milkha’s sister, could have been given less screen time (we still didn’t cry ROM, despite your best try!). Sonam Kapoor is also quite forgettable in the movie, which is a pity, since she has such a pivotal role to play in what makes Milkha. May be after Abhishek, ROM will replace Sonam in his next too! Some of the casting is distracting and reduces the impact of certain powerful scenes. Milkha’s dad (played by Pak-Brit actor Art Malik) who is massacred in the farm and is a central part of the plot, gives a weird middle-eastern over-acting performance that lessens the impact of that turning point moment. Also Dalip Tahil as Nehru is a terrible choice and instead of looking-feeling like Nehru, he looked like Dalip Tahil in white clothes.
But, these distractions apart, it’s a must-watch movie for all Indians. ROM, you have delivered again and we are so glad you are back. We loved the crash-course in history. We loved the moments like finding out it was the Pakistani President that gave Milkha the name of Flying Sikh. We loved the setting and the periodicity to the movie, of a time we all have forgotten and taken for granted.
No matter, how you enter the theatre for the movie, when you walk out, you walk out a Milkha fan...
