Milkha Singh wasn't exactly our childhood hero - his exploits were a little too early for us to appreciate, and he didn't play cricket! But we did know he was one of our early successful athletes.
BMB therefore was an enlightening experience - and I am sure most of the country now has a much better appreciation of his sacrifices and achievements. The problem with this biopic is that it is too long, and quickly becomes boring.
Over a terribly long 190 or so minutes, we follow Milkha's journey as a disturbed boy travelling to India during Partition after a terrible tragedy to his family, to his early years as a coal thief, followed by his stint in the Indian army from where he went on to become a hero for Indian sports. It highlights the need for perseverance, sacrifice and hard work, but it is terribly slow and indulging, punctured by needless songs.
The story telling also needed a lot of cleaning up and sincerity, rather than adopt flimsy explanations for Milkha's failures. In the film's opening scene at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Milkha loses the race when he looks back, apparently because he is haunted by an image from his troubled past. In another scene, where Milkha wins an important race despite being badly injured in an attack by his competitor, we see the bandages covering his wounds dramatically come off as he runs towards the finish line. Many such scenes rob the movie of its genuineness, and ends up making the audience feel manipulated.
Farhan's performance is the film's biggest strength. From his dialogue delivery to the impressive physical turnaround, he is stunning. Sonam Kapoor is pretty, but has a very insignificant role, and doesn't really need to act. His Australian girlfriend, in a tiny role, is very pretty, and impresses in the short time she's on screen.
Watch it for Farhan, and hopefully, get inspired to join the Mumbai Marathon next year!
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