"Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", which can be translated in english as "Run Milkha Run", is definitely not a run-of-the-mill(kha) movie, but a fly-of-the-mill(kha) movie :).
I watched this movie just a couple of days ago. Nowadays I don't watch too many bollywood movies except when I am convinced beforehand that the movie is not just another 'masala' movie but something different and high quality stuff.
I, generally, don't miss movies based on the lives of famous, great personalities. This movie was not only inspiring and entertaining, but also very informative. After watching this movie, I realized that I knew hardly 1-2% about this legendary athlete's life before watching the movie.
As per my knowledge, keeping aside 'Paan Singh Tomar', this is perhaps the first bollywood movie that is based on the real life of an Indian sportsman. It is interesting and intriguing that it should take such a long time for one of the biggest and one of the most veteran film industries in the world to produce a biopic based on the life of an Indian sportsman.
It must also be very flattering to Milkha Singh that he has been the first Indian sportsman to get such an honour, ahead of many other great Indian sports personalities, and I believe he fully deserves it.
Milkha Singh has demonstrated what an ordinary person from a very ordinary, struggling background can do, against all odds like - lack of all sorts of resources, lack of sophisticated training facilities and coaches etc. that too in those days!
His life will be an inspiration for thousands of sportspersons from similar backgrounds, who are struggling to make it to the international level.
Looking at his life from a philosophical point of view, the most striking point that I observed is how the "Law Of Compensation" (reference: Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay on this topic) perfectly demostrated itself in his life.
The same country (Pakistan) which had wronged him by depriving him of his home and relatives, also bestowed upon him perhaps the greatest honour he ever had in his life - the title of "Flying Sikh". But in order to be able to receive that honour, he had to forget his past bad memories and show positive attitude in going and participating in the sports event there.
Had he been resentful about the past, and been adamant in not going to Pakistan, he would not have allowed the 'Law Of Compensation' to do its magic (of compensation) for him. It shows that in order to be benefited by this law, one must believe in the divine supreme power which is causing this law to function, and must surrender to the will of that supreme power with a faith that "if good happens it is anyway great for me, and even if something bad happens, I would be anyhow compensated by this Law, if I stay positive".
Another philosophical point to be noted is that when he started doing well at the national level, some of his jealous and malicious rivals attacked him and badly injured his feet, with an obvious intention to ostracise/eliminate him from the national level competitions. But the reaction of Milkha was never of avenge or retaliation in the same coin.
He even refused to disclose the names of the assaulters. He instead chose to just forgive and forget the past and look forward to future, and perhaps channelized that energy in running the race such that he broke the national record, and that too with badly injured feet!
Such was the extent of his positive attitude and magnanimity, and ability to turn anger inwards for achieving higher success. Anger when controlled, turned inward and used properly and harmlessly (harmless both for you and others), can lift you up to the levels of genius!
It also reminds me a little of Jesus Christ and Gandhi. Let me cite a line from the Holy Bible :-
"Blessed are they that suffer in faith, for the Glory of God is theirs."
Perhaps this was the mindset that, in general, enabled him to overcome all obstacles and adversities to reach the top, i-e, "Getting ahead instead of getting even". There is a beautiful quote from Harvard Business Review -: "Great management is about character, not technique!".
It also reminds me a little of the movie "Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar", where Sanjaylal (played by Amir Khan), is asked by his elder brother to give up the idea of any retaliation towards the villain, and instead exhorts him to channelize that energy in winning the cycling competition.
Another such learning from this movie is how important 'self control', 'self discipline' and 'resisting temptations' is, in achieving success, particularly at the highest levels. Being a little inexperienced, and it being his first trip abroad, Milkha was a bit carried away by his fling with an Australian damsel.
And perhaps, that adversely affected his concentration and performance at the qualifying rounds of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. But he learnt his lesson quickly and then avoided any kind of distractions thereafter and achieved great success in future competitions.
As they say, if you resist a temptation, the power of that temptation passes into you. Also it teaches us that just like "work-life balance" is important, "life-work balance" is also important. Meaning just like work should not affect your personal life, your personal life should also not affect your work! Sacrifice the lower things for achieving something higher!
But I would not recommend you to sacrifice watching this movie for doing something else :). A thumbs up to Farhan Akhtar for a brilliant performance!
