The unending run of Farhan Akhtar.. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is one long movie!

Now, Mr. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra… I understand this is “inspired” by a true story.. I also agree that Milkha’s story is truly inspiring, so why did I come out of the theater 3+ hours later feeling not really inspired?

The movie begins with a tragedy.. We are told that Milkha Singh who was the favorite to win the 400m mens event at the Rome Olympics in 1960, unfortunately looked behind and gave away his lead in the final.. losing the bronze in a photo-finish  As he turns, we are shown blurry ghosts of his past.. This isn’t the first time he has heard the titular cry “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”.

His first tragedy was the trauma surrounding partition. He grew up to be robber of sorts, fell for a girl who wouldn't marry a goon. He joined army to “become someone”. Harsh training, bullying and 2 fantastic coaches later, he has the coveted “India” blazer. So when he goes to seek marital alliance of the girl he oh-so-loved, he’s told she’s already married. Another tragedy.

He finds himself awestruck, lovestruck/lust-struck with a gori, in his first Olympic appearance. However much he slaps himself staring at the mirror, he is not to forgive or forget this tragedy. That triggers a dedicated effort to break the 400m world record and the stage is set for Olympics 1960.

We are somehow narrated, that the baggage of the past lead to the catastrophic loss that lead to public outrage and self denial – both an inseparable reality for Milkha Singh. First thing first: As someone who gets tired of running from my building to the main gate (my 400 meter run once a week may be, when I am late to meet a colleague) – I feel dwarfed by Milkha Singh. As someone who went to gym 2 times and felt it was too taxing, I feel dwarfed by Farhan Akhtar, who has literally chiseled himself with a sculpting knife to look this fit for this role.

So let me just stop and not get dwarfed by the personalities, and just talk about my experience with the movie as a movie.

So there are moments, there is great music (the kind that makes me wonder why we don’t hear more of the talented Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio), there is a little bit of everything and yet the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts.

If anything, the screenplay is over-thought and the movie over-directed (if you know what I mean). While the premise was great, the story was simple and neat, the presentation simply overpowers the message, which was essentially a heartfelt, individual struggle. The director (and writer) is too busy making it a non-linear film that has associative links to the three timelines of the movie, that none of the three timelines really create an impact. The director’s re-use of sepia tone for the past and speed blurs is so Rang-de-basanti-isque that I was partly wishing I was watching that movie, instead.

Of the three, the timeline of Milkha’s childhood creates the most impactf. Personal lives affected by partition are portrayed with raw fervor and the images of violence are stirring and scary. There is nothing very unique about his young adulthood – for cinema, at least. The boy meets girl sequences, the chori sequence and some random tomfoolery – all simply giving us another facet of the Milkha Singh personality, but doing nothing really to the movie itself. I honestly feel, that this timeline could’ve been chopped off to a large extent to make the film somewhat smaller.

But then it is a biopic. Or is it? For the director puts in enough commercial masala (save for an item number THANK GOD) to convince us this is just another bollywood film. And I think that is where the film falters – in trying to make up its mind on being entertaining, accurate and yet slick and punchy, the subtle emotions of Milkha are lost.

Farhan Akhtar submits himself to physically transforming himself into Milkha Singh. He looks every bit an athlete and perhaps outdoes the fitness levels of a professional athlete, and gets a runners body-language pitch perfect, even tries a Punjabi accent, but still somehow remains a Farhan Akhtar and doesn't become a Milkha Singh– his emotional moments, comic timings and dialogue deliovery are distinctively Farhan Akhtar, and not of the character he embodies. So as much as I am proud of what he has done to look and be the part, I am conscious I never forgot it was him. Which is not uncommon in bollywood, I have learnt. Like a Shahrukh is a Shahruk and a Salman is a Salman in every film. But I honestly don’t think the makers and the actor (who both represent a promising body of work) set those to be their benchmark.

Pawan Singh as the army coach and Prakash Raj as the accented trainer are the only supporting cast that leave a mark. Oh, and Divya Dutta hams (like it was a 50’s movie and not a movie set in the 50’s) and Sonam Kapoor I am told took 11 rupees for the movie (that girl is so overpaid!).

Everything said and done, this is NOT a BADmovie. It is long, it is entertaining in parts and has inspiring moments. If you are a Farhan Akhtar fan, you MUST watch it. If you are into biopics, you MAY like it, if you go in expecting some Rang de Basanti class of entertainment, just rent the RDB DVD, this one will do nothing to you.

2.5 Stars. If it wasn’t for Farhan’s hardwork and the stellar soundtrack, there wouldn’t be much to write home about.