Milkha ‘Flying Sikh’ Singh, a legend in his lifetime, who is in London to promote Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, spoke toThe Telegraph from the Bentley Hotel on Saturday morning. There were times when the 77-year-old turned rather emotional, but didn’t lose composure, patiently answering the questions.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was, incidentally, screened before a select group of invitees at The Mayfair’s exclusive screening room on Friday evening. “From what I could make out, it was much appreciated,” Milkha said.
The following are excerpts
Q You’ve been keeping a busy schedule in London... From the House of Lord’s to The Mayfair...
A I came for the promotional and I’ll be leaving for home on Sunday. I saw Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in its complete form, for the first time, last evening.
Was it an emotional outing?
I was in tears... Main to roh pada... Not once, but many times.
But didn’t you see the film prior to the promotions?
I did, in New Delhi, but some work remained at that point in time... I was in tears then, too, and Farhan (Akhtar), who was sitting next to me, had to lend his hanky!
What’s your take on Farhan playing Milkha Singh on screen?
(Affectionately) Farhan ne kamaal kar diya... He’s a duplicate copy and has turned in such a powerful and realistic performance. It’s almost like I’m there in person on the screen.
So, a 10 on 10 for Farhan?
Bilkul.
Your family is also in London. What did they make of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag?
They enjoyed it. Obviously, even they got emotional.
How much of the film is fact and how much of it is fiction?
I’d say almost 90 per cent is my true life story.
That’s a massive percentage...
It is, yes.
What has been most touching about the entire exercise?
That a film on my life has been made during my lifetime... It’s an honour... Even films on (Mahatma) Gandhi and Shaheed Bhagat Singh were made long after they left us. Isse jyada khushi ki baat kya ho sakti hai? The present generation has little idea, or probably none at all, of what I did... Of the hardships I endured... Of the dedication I showed... This film tells my story and, hopefully, it will inspire at least a few to bring glory to India. There’s nothing bigger than doing your country proud.
India’s become a cricket-centric nation... Were you surprised when Bollywood showed interest in making a film on you?
Actually, three-four directors approached me, wanting to make a film based on my autobiography (The Race of My Life). The decision to go with Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra was taken by my son, Jeev... He made the right choice.
What made Jeev go for Rakyesh?
Jeev’s a regular watcher of Bollywood films and Rakyesh’s (2006 superhit) Rang De Basanti left a big impression... He felt Rakyesh would do justice to my life story. He sure has.
Is finishing fourth in the 400m in the 1960 Rome Olympics still a regret?
That regret will stay as long as I’m alive... I lost out (to South Africa’s Malcolm Spence) in a photo-finish... I wasn’t destined to win... India wasn’t destined to win a medal that day... Aur kya kahen? I’d won 77 of the 80 races leading up to the Olympics and I’d been expected to win.
Twenty-four years later, in Los Angeles, you must have felt for PT Usha...
I was in the stands... It seemed as if my story was being replayed. Of course, I felt for Usha... An athlete spends years trying to win a medal at the Olympics. To come so close and, then, fail… That kills.
What separates a champion from just another athlete?
Hard work and more hard work. In my pursuit of excellence, I’d vomit blood... Blood came out with urine as well, but I never lost focus. There was no money in those days, so one was driven only by the urge to do the country proud. I ran for India, not for money.
Why is it that you remain the sole Indian male to win an athletics gold in the Commonwealth Games?
Because we don’t plan... Don’t have a vision, like the Chinese, for example.
[Three years ago, Krishna Poonia brought India’s lone gold — in discus — in the women’s category.]
As an iconic sportsman, what disappoints you the most?
There are quite a few things... Doping pains me and I’m sorry to say that coaches and doctors put the athletes on the wrong track right from the schools level... That’s the tragedy. The bigger tragedy is that they go unpunished. They have no fear. Eradicate doping and start at the schools level.
Match-fixing is also cheating...
More than the individuals, it disgraces the country... Look at the bad name India got during the recent fixing scandal involving cricketers... The injection of more money appears to have made the players more greedy and more corrupt. Shameful.
Are you anti-cricket?
Not anti-cricket, but that one sport has caused a decline in the standard of the other disciplines... I blame the media too. Cricket is shown 24x7 right through the year, why not other sport?
You became a cult figure in an era when there was no TV... How did you handle stardom?
(Laughs) I knew what my priorities were... Kept my feet on the ground... Woh bahut zaroori hota hai. I wanted to do India proud, wanted to be recognised as an achiever.
After Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is released, you could become a bigger cult figure...
If that does happen, I’ll have to thank Rakeysh, Prasoon Joshi (the scriptwriter) and Farhan... In fact, they’ve already given me a fresh lease of life... Main jaise doobara paida ho gaya hoon!
Who inspired you?
Jesse Owens (winner of four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics)... If he could overcome such heavy odds, why couldn’t I? That kept driving me.
Did you meet Owens, who’d infuriated Adolf Hitler?
During the 1972 Olympics, in Munich. He’d heard about me and said as much. We had a casual conversation.
Among the present-day athletes, who stands out?
Usain Bolt... He’s so sincere and I doubt if any other athlete puts in the same amount of work. He’s a shining example.
The last one... You lost your parents (Sampuran Singh and Chawli Bai) in the post-Partition massacres. Watching them on screen must have been tough...
Main roh pada... Look, you can’t change history, no matter how painful... You endure the pain
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was, incidentally, screened before a select group of invitees at The Mayfair’s exclusive screening room on Friday evening. “From what I could make out, it was much appreciated,” Milkha said.
The following are excerpts
Q You’ve been keeping a busy schedule in London... From the House of Lord’s to The Mayfair...
A I came for the promotional and I’ll be leaving for home on Sunday. I saw Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in its complete form, for the first time, last evening.
Was it an emotional outing?
I was in tears... Main to roh pada... Not once, but many times.
But didn’t you see the film prior to the promotions?
I did, in New Delhi, but some work remained at that point in time... I was in tears then, too, and Farhan (Akhtar), who was sitting next to me, had to lend his hanky!
What’s your take on Farhan playing Milkha Singh on screen?
(Affectionately) Farhan ne kamaal kar diya... He’s a duplicate copy and has turned in such a powerful and realistic performance. It’s almost like I’m there in person on the screen.
So, a 10 on 10 for Farhan?
Bilkul.
Your family is also in London. What did they make of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag?
They enjoyed it. Obviously, even they got emotional.
How much of the film is fact and how much of it is fiction?
I’d say almost 90 per cent is my true life story.
That’s a massive percentage...
It is, yes.
What has been most touching about the entire exercise?
That a film on my life has been made during my lifetime... It’s an honour... Even films on (Mahatma) Gandhi and Shaheed Bhagat Singh were made long after they left us. Isse jyada khushi ki baat kya ho sakti hai? The present generation has little idea, or probably none at all, of what I did... Of the hardships I endured... Of the dedication I showed... This film tells my story and, hopefully, it will inspire at least a few to bring glory to India. There’s nothing bigger than doing your country proud.
India’s become a cricket-centric nation... Were you surprised when Bollywood showed interest in making a film on you?
Actually, three-four directors approached me, wanting to make a film based on my autobiography (The Race of My Life). The decision to go with Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra was taken by my son, Jeev... He made the right choice.
What made Jeev go for Rakyesh?
Jeev’s a regular watcher of Bollywood films and Rakyesh’s (2006 superhit) Rang De Basanti left a big impression... He felt Rakyesh would do justice to my life story. He sure has.
Is finishing fourth in the 400m in the 1960 Rome Olympics still a regret?
That regret will stay as long as I’m alive... I lost out (to South Africa’s Malcolm Spence) in a photo-finish... I wasn’t destined to win... India wasn’t destined to win a medal that day... Aur kya kahen? I’d won 77 of the 80 races leading up to the Olympics and I’d been expected to win.
Twenty-four years later, in Los Angeles, you must have felt for PT Usha...
I was in the stands... It seemed as if my story was being replayed. Of course, I felt for Usha... An athlete spends years trying to win a medal at the Olympics. To come so close and, then, fail… That kills.
What separates a champion from just another athlete?
Hard work and more hard work. In my pursuit of excellence, I’d vomit blood... Blood came out with urine as well, but I never lost focus. There was no money in those days, so one was driven only by the urge to do the country proud. I ran for India, not for money.
Why is it that you remain the sole Indian male to win an athletics gold in the Commonwealth Games?
Because we don’t plan... Don’t have a vision, like the Chinese, for example.
[Three years ago, Krishna Poonia brought India’s lone gold — in discus — in the women’s category.]
As an iconic sportsman, what disappoints you the most?
There are quite a few things... Doping pains me and I’m sorry to say that coaches and doctors put the athletes on the wrong track right from the schools level... That’s the tragedy. The bigger tragedy is that they go unpunished. They have no fear. Eradicate doping and start at the schools level.
Match-fixing is also cheating...
More than the individuals, it disgraces the country... Look at the bad name India got during the recent fixing scandal involving cricketers... The injection of more money appears to have made the players more greedy and more corrupt. Shameful.
Are you anti-cricket?
Not anti-cricket, but that one sport has caused a decline in the standard of the other disciplines... I blame the media too. Cricket is shown 24x7 right through the year, why not other sport?
You became a cult figure in an era when there was no TV... How did you handle stardom?
(Laughs) I knew what my priorities were... Kept my feet on the ground... Woh bahut zaroori hota hai. I wanted to do India proud, wanted to be recognised as an achiever.
After Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is released, you could become a bigger cult figure...
If that does happen, I’ll have to thank Rakeysh, Prasoon Joshi (the scriptwriter) and Farhan... In fact, they’ve already given me a fresh lease of life... Main jaise doobara paida ho gaya hoon!
Who inspired you?
Jesse Owens (winner of four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics)... If he could overcome such heavy odds, why couldn’t I? That kept driving me.
Did you meet Owens, who’d infuriated Adolf Hitler?
During the 1972 Olympics, in Munich. He’d heard about me and said as much. We had a casual conversation.
Among the present-day athletes, who stands out?
Usain Bolt... He’s so sincere and I doubt if any other athlete puts in the same amount of work. He’s a shining example.
The last one... You lost your parents (Sampuran Singh and Chawli Bai) in the post-Partition massacres. Watching them on screen must have been tough...
Main roh pada... Look, you can’t change history, no matter how painful... You endure the pain
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