Bhag Milkha Bhag

Last weekend I got the opportunity to watch The Flying Sikh's s biography, Bhag Milkha Bhag (literal translation-Run Milkha Run). Even though I was hearing good things about the movie from people around me and most of the media, I wasn't too enthusiastic about watching it, basically because I don't like biographies. But to my surprise it turned out to be a pretty good movie!! The visual effects and the attention to detail in scene set-up, characterizations, make-up, clothes, etc was so amazing that it felt as if I had traveled back in time to another era. Farhan is a natural, his portrayal of Milkha Singh is very believable, even though how realistic it is is something that can only judged by the real Milkha Singh:). The supporting cast, especially Divya Dutta, also do justice to their roles. Divya's acting skills have reached new heights and the way she executes her roles is absolutely convincing and delightful.
The way the story is narrated is very dynamic with 2 parallel storylines- one is about Milkha Singh, the athlete and the other about Milkha Singh, the person. Initially, circumstances beyond his control push him into running and for a while it seems like he is an accidental athlete- naturally gifted but not ready or not wanting to go beyond that. But once he embraces his potential, that's when the two personas come together and Milkha Singh achieves glory.
I think the song sequences could have been avoided-that would have made the movie a bit shorter and I don't think they added much value to the overall storyline. But I have to admit that the song, Slow Motion Angreza, is quite catchy, here is a link to a You Tube video of the same..enjoy!!