Made on a budget of ₹410 million (US$5.4 million), the film released on 12 July 2013 and garnered acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Sports was coordinated by the American action director Rob Miller of ReelSports. It stars Farhan Akhtar in the titular role, with Sonam Kapoor, Divya Dutta, Meesha Shafi, Pavan Malhotra, Yograj Singh, Art Malik, and Prakash Raj instead of supporting roles. The story is based on the life of Milkha Singh, an Indian athlete and Olympian who was a champion of the Commonwealth Games and two-times 400m champion of the Asian Games. Run, Milkha, run) is a 2013 Hindi-language biographical sports drama film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra from a script written by Prasoon Joshi. Production company: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra PicturesĬast: Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor, Dalip Tahil, Prakash RajĮxecutive producers: P.S.Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ( transl. That is a patriotic message that is exhilarating indeed. But with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, he takes no shortcuts in depicting the literal blood, sweat and tears Singh shed in his pursuit of excellence. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has been called a patriotic filmmaker: he was lauded as the director of Rang De Basanti, a 2006 film that captured India’s youth on the brink of rebellion, and his works also include the 2011 documentary Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told. Blunt, who make the long, uncut hair of Milkha’s Sikh faith appear entirely natural on Akhtar. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s background score is powerful in all the right parts, and special mention must be made of the excellent wig and hair work by Avan Contractor and B. Mehra himself makes a small, comical cameo as an airline pilot on Milkha’s first flight. Mehra has taken great care in casting Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, with sensitive performances from Divya Dutta (as Milkha’s devoted elder sister), Sonam Kapoor ( Raanjhanaa, Delhi 6) as a brief but important love interest, Prakash Raj as a hard-driving army leader, and especially Pavan Malhotra as a compassionate mentor, the first trainer to spot Milkha’s potential. PHOTOS: Life After the Olympics: How 15 Athletes Made Their Way to Hollywood In one memorable scene, the adult Milkha has a vision of his 12-year-old self, and for once in his life, comes to love and accept the boy within unconditionally.
#BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG MOVIE SERIES#
Prasoon Joshi’s screenplay does not tell Milkha’s story chronologically, instead relying on a series of flashbacks that can seem unclear until the end of the film, when Milkha travels back to his home town to experience a moving catharsis. But beyond the impressive physique he has cultivated for the role, Akhtar has captured a sense of focus and piety that led Singh to rise from his humble beginnings as a post-Partition refugee and small-time crook to national champion. He trained hard for a year and a half before the start of shooting, including a regimen in mountainous Ladakh at 14,000 feet. The smart, sinewy Akhtar does not look like the typical Bollywood hero, which is one of the factors that Mehra says led him to choose him for the role after a casting search that took him as far as Canada, the UK and the U.S. Since then, he has earned accolades for roles in films such as Rock On!! and 2011’s delightful bromance Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. He made the shift to acting under the radar, in the little-seen 2005 festival film The Fakir of Venice. He is known as a writer and director, with his 2001 release, Dil Chahta Hai, redefining the youth genre, and Don and Don 2 cementing Shah Rukh Khan’s reputation as an action star. Its length - bloated by several overlong segments and superfluous songs - and the complexity of the India-Pakistan rivalry at the core of the story may prove offputting for non-Indian audiences, but the film is likely to attract healthy returns at the box office within India.įarhan Akhtar’s intelligent performance is a highlight of the film. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has opened wide for an Indian release in the U.S., in 140 theaters.