Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a huge success at the international forum

Farhan Akhtar’s latest venture Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has proved an epitome of success in the very first week of its worldwide opening. The success story is such that it has scored the 15th spot on the popularity chart of movies in the United States this week.

As recorded by Box Office Mojo, the website which tracks top American movies, the film is running across 140 theatres in the United States and has earned USD 647,112 in the first three days of its release over the weekend. A leading US daily reviewed the movie as, "A biopic gets the Bollywood treatment in `Bhaag Milkha Bhaag`(Run Milkha Run), which dramatizes the life of record-breaking Indian sprinter Milkha Singh, played by the talented Farhan Akhtar.” It also added, "Like most Bollywood films, Milkha`s story is supposed to be a saga. But aside from a horrifying experience in childhood and some major triumphs on the track, much of the rest of his history feels like filler held together by a faulty framing device.”

Another US daily reported, "The Indian running champ Milkha Singh may be the hero of the over-the-top `Bhaag Milkha Bhaag`, but this Bollywood film`s true, tormented heart lies in the brutal era of India`s partition. As a side character in the film puts it, Milkha - a ka `the Flying Sikh` - ran away from Pakistan and has been running ever since.” As said by THR, the three-hour saga on Milkha Singh’s life definitely tests viewers’ endurance power, but ultimately proves successful with a thrilling climax. THR has also praised Farhan Akhtar for his extraordinary performance as Milkha Singh, "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 US.” It has also been added that "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 rook to national champion.”