Bhaag Milkha Bhaag:Intense biopic drama

Hello..in the passing away of our national hero shri Milkha singh(the udansikh) we have lost another gem of our nation.I have republished this blog as my tribute to him.This movie released few years ago and was the biography of Shri Milkha Singh.

नमस्कार..हमारे राष्ट्रीय नायक श्री मिल्खा सिंह (उड़ानसिख) के निधन से हमने अपने देश का एक और रत्न खो दिया है। मैंने इस ब्लॉग को मेरी श्रद्धांजलि के रूप में पुनः प्रकाशित किया है। यह फिल्म कुछ साल पहले रिलीज़ हुई थी और श्री की जीवनी थी  मिल्खा सिंह।

Movie review:-Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Intense and wonderful biopic drama:-

 A biopic is never easy to make. How do you fit someone's entire life in a few hours? What parts do you highlight and which slice do you decide to leave out while still staying true to the story?But filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra trusts that Singh’s story will resonate with global audiences, not because of the athlete’s brush with world fame, but because of the universal themes of pride, hard work and redemption that his life represent. His bet has paid off: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Run Milkha Run) triumphs in its depiction of a man coming to terms with the ugliest scenes from his childhood, witnessing his parents’ slaughter during the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 and the resultant genocide, and rebuilding his life to become an Indian icon.

Tribute to Milkha Singh:-

The much anticipated Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is anything but the film that Milkha Singh deserves. His was an unbelievable dregs-to-glory story. Milkha was a Partition refugee who lost his parents in the riots. He discovered his métier after years of struggle. His sturdy spirit, forged in the fire of life, found expression on the athletics track in ways that remain unparalleled in India to this day. 

                                                                       

'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' descriptions:-

Opened: July 12, 2013 (Reliance Entertainment)

Production company: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor, Dalip Tahil, Prakash Raj

Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Screenwriter: Prasoon Joshi

Producer: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Executive producers: P.S. Bharathi, Rajeev Tandon

Director of photography: Binod Pradhan

Costume designer: Dolly Ahluwalia

Choreographers: Ganesh Acharya, Shiamak Dayar, Vaibhavi Merchant

Music: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa

Editor: P.S. Bharathi

Unrated, 183 minutes

                                                         

Story Treatment

The story of Milkha Singh is inspirational, doubtless. And Mehra leaves, literally, not one stone unturned (and adds a few of his own, doubtless) in this three hour and some saga, which takes us from Milkha's childhood in then Punjab-now Pakistan, the trauma of Partition and being torn from his (Milkha's) family, his lawless youth, his joining the Indian Army and gaining respectability. And then learning the joys of running. For himself, and for the honour of his nation.

But the way the director tells it is much less inspiring. It's almost as if he needs to talk up his film in order to entice us to watch it. Why, you ask yourself, when you see a burst of sporting glory, the kind that becomes goose-flesh immortal every time someone refers to it even, does the director need to dress up his story so much that it nearly drowns? The face of a winner, at the end of a tough race, is such a win in itself. Is there any need to underline it, just in case we miss the point, with loud background music?

                                                        

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag:- Story

If we go into the flashback of the story, we find a Sikh boy growing up in Multan. Due to partition, he has to come to Delhi, leaving his family back. In Delhi, he lives with his sister. He steals cola to make a living and then falls in love with Bira, who lives in a refugee colony in Shahdara. He makes up his mind to win her and gets enlisted in the Army.

Here begins his race. At first for the greed of an extra glass of milk and escaping parade, then to wear India's blazer and subsequently to get the world at his feet, by running. This race comes to an important turn in 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where he is unable to survive in the first round of the 400m sprint. He understands that the race is not as simple as it seems.

Then comes the drive, which he lives with and four years later, he reaches 1960 Rome Olympics after winning the Asiad and Commonwealth Games among many other championships, and all eyes are on him. After all, he holds the world record. But here, amid the noise of that bloody evening, he turns around and loses.

But life does not end at the loss. Milkha overcomes this fear in a race in Pakistan.

(-) points:-

• The film is 3 hours 7 minutes long. In the beginning, one thinks how will the time pass by. Some scenes in the first half could have been easily removed, but perhaps filmmaker's stubbornness and his attachment with everything becomes evident.

• Even the songs like Maston ka Jhund and title track power the film and its reason for existence. Some songs, if removed, could have reduced the film's length though. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music provides soul to Prasoon Joshi's lyrics.

                                                           

(+)points:-

• Farhan Akhtar’s intelligent performance is a highlight of the film. The lead actor is well supported by Prakash Raj (as a no-nonsense military man), Pavan Malhotra (as Gurdev Singh, the army coach who groomed Milkha), Yograj Singh (as the national athletics coach) and Divya Dutta (as Milkha’s sister).
• "The supremely talented director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and the proficient writer Prasoon Joshi amass the varied occurrences from the phenomenon's life, although the focus is clearly on the documentation of Milkha's illustrious career, his uphill struggle, impediments, apprehensions and eventual triumph. Besides staying true to Milkha's life and conquests, Mehra and Joshi interweave a spellbinding screenplay that doesn't limit it to being a mere sports-based film.
• In the technical department, Binod Pradhan’s cinematography is top-notch. Ehsaan Shankar Loy’s songs are quite high-strung; the background music has its stirring passages though.

                                       
Genere:-biopic drama,sports,patriotism,action

Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Rating: *****

Verdict:-

• Some lives are made for the big screen. Milkha Singh's certainly is one. It has everything.
• If you are in the mood for some intense bio-drama, run to the nearest theatre.