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. 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.

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