Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra spent 6 months flying in and out of Chandigarh to get the real story out of Milkha Singh. And what he has captured on the canvas is as real as it could get. There are a lot of dramatic elements, but Singh believes all that was needed to create the hype. Deebashree Mohanty spoke to the Flying Sikh to get the fiction out of the fact
losing at Rome Olympics
Farhan Akhtar runs off to a great start in his 400m race at the 1960 Rome Olympics when his coach screams from within the rim ‘bhaag Milkha bhaag’. That’s when he looks back and gets sidetracked by memories of his gory past and he loses the race of his life by a fraction of a second, coming fourth.
Melbourne fling
In the film, Akhtar as Milkha is taken in by the beauty of an Australian girl (grand-daughter of a technical expert) and they share many romantic moments just days before his race. He loses the race by a huge margin and blames himself for this embarrassing defeat which his coach has warned him against.
Refusal to go to pak
In the film, Milkha refuses to go to Pakistan for friendship games (his family was killed in Partition riots). But he is persuaded by Prime Minister Nehru. He wins that race and many hearts too. He visits his village of yore and cries like a baby.
Partition woes
In the movie, a 7-year-old Milkha witnesses the killing of his family in his village and just before being beheaded, his grandfather tells him to bhaag and never look back. A terrified Milkha follows instructions, but he does look back. That’s when he sees his grandfather’s head being severed by an Islamic rioter riding a black horse
Sister abuse
The film shows Milkha witnessing his sister being sexually and physically abused by her husband. This and many other such instances lead him to pick up the knife and hang out with juvenile delinquents
Bhaag phrase filmy
In real races, no coach can stand at the rim and shout. I did not look back during that race, it was only a momentary lack of concentration that made me lose. I don’t recall thinking about my past in those last few seconds.
ladies man
I was dashing in my younger days and the centre of attraction. Girls fell for me often. In Australia, I met this attractive sprinter. We had moments, nothing serious. Players often meet attractive players. It sometimes acts as an inspiration, it should be seen in that light.
Pak was a no-no
I had refused to ever lead a contingent to Pakistan. It was, indeed, only because of Nehruji that I agreed. I got a lot of respect from the people in Pakistan and did win the race on that soil. later, I visited my former home and met my childhood friend. I have no idea if he is still alive.
Untold misery
It was my most traumatic experience, something that can’t be documented in a 3-hour movie. I was witness to the killing of my entire family, all stabbed or shot. I couldn’t take it anymore so I ran away. I don’t remember being told to run or if I looked back.
Camp was horrid
Camp days were horrid. I was too young to remember what all my sister underwent but I recall she taking a lot of abuse. I fell in bad company and did a jail term once. My sister died 10 years ago. I got infatuated with a girl but she got married.