Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: An astounding epic....

“मैं यह पिक्चर देखने ज़रूर जाऊँगा"... I said to my friend.

चल पहले Fast and furious तो देख ले ... he said pushing me in the hall.

That was my first brush with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag....months back seeing the poster. All i knew that it was on the Flying Sikh and his life. With Farhan and Shankar , Ehsaan, Loy at the midst of things, I knew things would be huge. Sold at just 1 /-  by the Great Milkha Singh , the movie had all the makings of a blockbuster. When the heart wants something, it doesn`t take time. Even a fever of 102 couldn`t stop me from booking a ticket on a Friday for Sunday evening show.

Come what may, whether I get well or not,  will definitely go to see the movie - was the one line declaration to my family. One trusted friend Santosh for company as always, we set out to see BMB – the movie of the year. Maybe even bigger than RDB, 2 days of facebook and twitter traffic had told me that what i was going to watch was an epic of enormous proportions...something which RDB had done in its time.

When i reached CSM, Noida the wait seemed unbearable. Crowds which could dwarf Kumbh too...way easily.  कुछ तो बात है इसमें .. The story began unfolding on the big screen. The story of the Sikh- the Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh. Starting with the Rome Olympics, the story moved in flashback capturing his childhood, circumstances along the way. Farhan brought the Milkha really alive on the screen. Be it the childhood, the partition, the aftermath, his love, running. Put a finger at any one aspect of his life  and it surely come alive. The army days brought laughter,  the partition brought tears, the love brought innocence. One thing which kept the audience glued was his love and determination for running. He knew that running will bring him accolades and the INDIA jacket and surely it did.

The relationship with his sister Isri is something which every brother would cherish and the hunt for his childhood home in the forgotten lands of Pak, his childhood friend would make every person go down memory lane. From the first moment itself i saw people deeply drawn in the storyline. There were laughs, tears, cheering, clapping in the hall on every scene. Over the years i don’t think that i have witnessed any other movie with such a level of  involvement of the audience. The audience cheered Farhan on screen in every race, egged him on, clapped on his victories. The Indo Pak race felt like a Indo pak cricket final, people cheering their lungs out. It was a phenomena , a feeling which i cant describe in the exact sentiments and emotions.

People of all ages, children had come to see an epic and they surely were not disappointed. Whenever it felt that the story might slump a bit low, the songs put it back on track. Everyone loved Zinda and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. A movie which didn’t need any actresses, the hero was enough to pull it all through by his performance alone. There have been numerous instances which show the level with which people connected with this awesome movie-

1.  A friend of my, Srishti, told that in Jammu the hall resembled a stadium with the people cheering the Indo Pak race more than they do in Indo Pak cricket matches.

2.  Crowd enjoyed every moment of the movie in Gurgaon. 

3.  Farhan akhtar saw the movie in a hall with people going absolutely crazy.

4.  A father asked his child “ घर चलें मिल्खा ?? and the child said, “भाग मिल्खा भाग ”..

5.  Few of my friends have watched this movie all weekend, starting from Friday and going till Sunday, everyday.

Need I Say Anything More??

So mesmerised and touched I was by this movie that i congratulated Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra , Farhan Akhtar and Shankar Mahadevan on twitter and when Shankar Mahadevan himself replied thanking me, it was the happiest moment for me.. What more does a person want?

What was there in the movie that touched me? Was it the period of partition? The pain of the lost childhood? The emotions? The storyline or being awed at the unfolding of the story about the Flying Sikh- the Legend... Whatever it was, its an effort which would touch many lives and maybe bring the focus back on athletics just like Chak De India did it for Hockey.. Untill then BMB is creating waves around the world, leaving competition behind, giving un unforgettable storylines and such outstanding performances.

तू जाग, अब तू जाग मिल्खा...तू है आग, तू है आग मिल्खा ....