Movie Review: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag…is a good tribute to the ‘Flying Sikh’

I am glad this movie was made. There is so much that I learned about the greatness and glory of the achievements of our very own Flying Sikh, which would have been lost on me otherwise. In a cricket obsessed nation, such stories tend to go untold and I am glad that wasn’t the case with this one

However, what prompted the makers to make it a freakin 188 minute offering is what I can’t get over. When you emerge from the movie hall, that is your single, albeit substantial, complaint. Especially when as per what’s shown there isn’t too much meat to the story. Quickly told, this story would have resonated big time and perhaps even made for repeated viewings. However, the pace at which it unfolds would weary even the most determined watcher

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is, no doubt, well made. The cinematography is classy and the movie has a distinct sheen about every sequence. Remove a few songs, a few extra sequences and stick to the main story and you had an explosive offering. Instead, what could have been a beautifully directed and shot movie gets relegated to mere moments – moments which are brilliantly captured and full-on display how forward movie making has moved in Bollywood – but that’s what they end up as – moments. Be it the way his runs are captured to the macabre nature of our partition; a hilarious sequence on a plane journey to the burning of a certain tissue paper - these are the moments that create the real magic about the movie. However, thanks to its runtime and the extra sequences, despite being somewhat of a biopic on a really inspirational life story the film really doesn’t succeed in getting the audience to connect and feel for its main character, which is a pity. Then there are some scenes that don’t really add up with threads that are left hanging in mid-air, making you wonder what was the point of showing them in the first place.

As for the act, well, its Farhan Akhtar all the way. Not only is he visibly fit for the part, he slips into the shoes of his character quite effortlessly. In my view, the character itself isn’t all that complex to pull off but that takes nothing away from Farhan’s performance. The only slight hitch is that his Punjabi accent isn’t all that there – but that isn’t a problem for most of the movie. However, it does come out in sharp contrast to the natural performance of Pawan Malhotra, as his Army coach. Sonam Kapoor has roughly 2 dialogues in the entire movie so that isn’t a problem for this one and she actually looks quite pleasing to the eye for a change. Divya Dutta gets noticed for all the right reasons in her spirited support role while Yograj Singh also does a good job

Regarding the music, quite simply – most of it shouldn’t be there. It slows down the narrative and adds nothing to the plot. Only Zinda is a song that really peps you up and maybe it could’ve been repeated in the background for scenes later in the movie rather than all the other unnecessary music. Tu Bhaag Milkha is decent but its no Lakshya and doesn’t have the same kind of energy about it

To sum up then, this movie should have been a 2 hour watch with much less of the song and dance routine and more on the inspirational story. Still, a visit to the hall is a must, if only to celebrate the story of the Flying Sikh, and ensure his legend is not forgotten anytime soon.