Singer Farhan Akhtar is in demand to perform at colleges!!

They are all keen that Farhan perform in their college. Yesterday he rocked IIT Roorkee in Uttarkhand and his next show is in IIT Delhi along with his band. The actor-singer also performed in Dubai and Kolkata recently. Actor, singer, producer, director... right now it’s Farhan the singer doing the rounds.

Biwi O Biwi: Vidya Balan pairs up with Farhan Akhtar in Shaadi Ke Side Effects

Vidya Balan's Punjabi housewife character in Ghanchakkar found no takers, here's what you can expect from her next outing as a Bengali wife.

Vidya Balan is gearing up to play the Missus once again. Marriage has been a major part of Vidya Balan’s life lately. First cameKahaani (2011) in which she played the role of  pregnant wife in search of her husband’s killer. On December 14, 2012, she tied the knot with producer Siddharth Roy Kapoor. Then came Ghanchakkar(2013). 

About playing a housewife in the film, she says, “When I signed Ghanchakkar, people asked me why I wanted to play a housewife since it all sounded very boring. But I don’t think housewives are boring... they run their houses, which most of us tend to underestimate, and they also find ways to entertain themselves.”

In her next release Shaadi Ke Side Effects (sequel to Pyaar Ke Side Effects) she plays a married woman once again. Here’s looking at the differences in her character from her last film from the one in her next...

Ghanchakkar: VB’s character was loud, boisterous and temperamental. She played a Punjabi housewife, married to (Sanju) Emraan Hashmi.

Shaadi Ke Side Effects: In this one, Vidya plays a smart, stylish, modern woman, who works in an ad agency, and is married to a Bengali guy called Sid Roy (Farhan Akhtar). 

G: She played a housewife, who was a former con. She is pushy and ambitious and urges her husband to pull the one big con after which they can retire.

SKSE: She plays a working woman who gives up her work after a baby. Her priorities are in the right place and she’s a good mother.

G: She dressed in outlandish outfits in loud colours and wore horrendous OTT accessories.

SKSE:  Vidya will be seen in stylish and sexy outfits in light, breezy colours. Her look was worked on by producer Rangita Nandy and stylist Jayati Bose, for months, till they finally came up with the right one.

G: The curvacious actress piled on more pounds to suit her character. A south Indian, shelearnt to speak Punjabi for the role.

SKSE:  Vids has lost almost 12 kgs before she started shooting. 

Post-Ghanchakkar, she followed a strict diet and exercise regimen to shed all the weight she had put on. She speaks Bengali fluently, so that she didn’t have to work on.

G: While Vidya has done a TV show (Hum Paanch) she had never done a comedy role. This was her first attempt at the funnies on the big screen. It didn’t really work.

SKSE:  This light-hearted romcom revolving around a husband-wife relationship; seems to be more audience-friendly from her last cinematic outing.

Rajnikanth & Chiranjeevi eager to watch BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG!!

Farhan Akhtar's film BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG has become the talk of the town. The audiences are completely mind boggled with the biopic.

Even the buzz in the film industry was big. So much so that, the superstars of South, Rajnikanth andChiranjeevi after watching the trailer of the film have reached out to Farhan Akhtar to express their wish to watch the film. 

BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG, which is a biopic on the Flying Sikh, the legendary athlete, comes across as a huge inspiration for people and is a must watch. 

CHECK OUT: Athlete P.T Usha watches Farhan's BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG

Farhan is very humbled and glad to know that superstars like Rajnikanth and Chiranjeevi have conveyed their yearning to watch the film. 

He is very pleased with the kind of response the film is getting and how the word of mouth has traveled even beyond B-town to the south as well. 

Spokesperson of the film 'Yes, Rajnikanth and Chiranjeevi both have reached out to us and expressed their wish to watch the film. We are overwhelmed with the fabulous response the film is getting.' 

Farhan loses his cool: Snaps when asked about this liplock!

Instead he chose to lose his cool on this one. And it was all about a lip-lock that he shared with his co-star Rebecca Beeds in his latest release.

It was at an event on Saturday when a media person asked the director-turned-actor if his recent on screen kiss had placed him in the leagues of Emraan Hashmi, tagged as Bollywood's serial kisser. An onlooker says, `Farhan was visibly miffed and snapped at the media person for asking about the kiss instead of how hard he had worked on his body to prep for the role.`

Ever since the makers started promoting the film, Farhan's 'two-year-long intense preparation' has managed to grab most of the headlines. His eight-pack abs has been almost in your face but looks like for Farhan, the adulation has not been enough. 

Apparently, a disgruntled Farhan shot back, `I have worked so hard to get the right body and prepare for the role, then why fuss over a simple kiss?`

In a bid to comfort an annoyed Farhan, his co-star Sonam Kapoor and director Rakeysh Omoprakash Mehra had to jump to his defence and pacify him. 

We don't deny Farhan must have pumped iron for his role, but then mastering the perfect kiss on screen also takes effort, no? So why be a prude? 

Box Office: 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' sprints past Rs. 32 crore in opening weekend!!

Despite mixed reviews, director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag gathered pace at the domestic box office during its first weekend run. 

The movie had Rs. 1.05 crore net from the Thursday previews to give it a decent start on Friday. The morning shows on Friday did not draw many footfalls, but the crowds came in during the evening shows. And the trend has been upward since then. The Friday collection was Rs. 8.50 crore net. Saturday saw the collection rise to Rs. 10.70 crore net. 



Sunday was still better with an estimated Rs. 12 crore. The total first weekend aggregate of the film comes out at Rs. 32.25 crore. 

The film got best audience response from Delhi and East Punjab. Even the collections from Mumbai, UP and Mysore are very good. 

Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is happy that the film has been accepted by the audience. 

“It's a happy sign, it gives us more latitude now to break the glass ceiling. This could be a defining moment for all of us, as storytellers, filmmakers, technicians and actors,” Mehra said at a press conference to announce the success of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. 

The film, starring Farhan Akhtar, is the biopic of the Indian athlete Milkha Singh. It also stars Sonam Kapoor and Pawan Malhotra. 

Meanwhile, Vikramaditya Motwane’s Lootera, released the week before, rounded off its first week with 26.8 crore net. 

Farhan Akhtar to host mini marathon in 4 cities!

Filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar will give a chance to his fans to run along with him in a mini marathon he will organize ahead of the release of his film “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”. The 3km-5km marathon will be hosted in four cities – Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Releasing July 12, director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” will see Farhan as athlete Milkha Singh. The biopic is a co-production between Mehra and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. “The curiosity to see Farhan running a marathon is at its highest. He has been able to transcend boundaries and has become the Milkha Singh of celluloid,” a spokesperson from Viacom 18 Motion Pictures told in a statement. The actor went through rigorous physical training in order to get the perfect body like that of an athlete and fans are keen to watch the actor run live. “Ever since the promotions started, everyone has been asking Farhan about the practice that went into playing the role of Milkha Singh. That’s why the makers have decided to give the audiences a chance to watch him run a marathon and participate with him,” a source told. “Many school and college students will be running with Farhan. They were selected via contests held by the makers recently,” the source further added. The film also features Sonam Kapoor.

Movie Review: Don't miss 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' at any cost!!

Starring Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor, Rebecca Breeds, Divya Dutta, Prakash Raj, Pavan Malhotra

Witten by Prasoon Joshi

Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Rating: * * * * *

History is created in several ways. One of them is cinema. And if Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag seems like a near-flawless homage to the flying spirit of India's greatest runner it is partly because the story, so nimbly woven into a pastiche of drama emotion humour and pathos by Prasoon Joshi, is in no hurry to keep pace with the on-screen Milkha's breathless sprint.

The story of super-sprinter Milkha Singh unfolds in this exceptional bio-pic at its own volition. There's no effort here `to tell a story`, to create an impression or to whip up a dramatic storm to captivate audiences. The synergy in the storytelling seems subliminal. 

Still, we the audience, fed week after week on mediocrity masquerading as cinema, are riveted to the story Milkha Singh for over 3 hours of playing-time? 


How come? ! Well, to begin with it is Milkha Singh's own powerful life as India's superstar sportsperson that sweeps us into the bio-pic. Milkha was so poor he couldn't afford running shoes, and when he got them he didn't know how to run in them. When milk was offered in the army in exchange of running practice he grabbed it (the run and the milk) with both hands. 

A victim of India's brutal Partition, Milkha's story was waiting to be told. Thankfully no one before Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra saw cinematic potential in Milkha's story. 

If Milkha's story had to be told, the storyteller had to be a master craftsman, and one who doesn't waste space in self-congratulatory flourishes. Rakeysh Ompraksh Mehra reins in the drama. 


With immense help from Prasoon Joshi, Mehra harnesses Milkha's life-story into an experience that is Pure Cinema and yet undiluted and uncompromised by the mandatory often silly illogical and idiotic semantics of mainstream commercial cinema.

The absolutely seamless editing (by P. Bharathi) is impressive. The film is very stylishly cut. But not at the cost of losing the saadgi, the innate ascetism of the sportsman-hero. 

And yes, there are songs, heart-gamboling songs composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. But they are so effortlessly woven into Milkha's saga we don't see them as `song breaks`. 

We see them as expressions of that innocent joy which springs out of Mehra's Milkha like milk from a cow's unconditionally nurturing udder. 


And yes, this is as good a time as any to tell you, Farhan Akhtar dances the Bhangra as well as any Punjabi. Actually, he doesn't dance. He just flows with the rhythm. I've never seen any actor dance with such rhapsodic abundance. Neither have I seen any actor run like Farhan. 

I don't know how fast Milka ran. But Farhan's Milkha doesn't fake it for even a second. When he runs, he really runs. When he stumbles and takes a fall we flinch and wince in our seats. Method acting? Farhan as Milkha takes us beyond that. 

His body-language and emotion-expression as Milkha is so pitch-perfect (pun intended) we forget this is not the real Milkha in front of our eyes. Not since Balraj Sahni in Garam Hawa have we seen an actor vanish so effortlessly into his character. This is as real as it gets. 


Farhan doesn't 'play' Milkha. The actor occupies Milkha, mind body and soul. There are episodes in this astonishingly well-structured bio-pic where Farhan's oneness with Milkha equals Ben Kingsley's empathy with Mahatma Gandhi. 

In one sequence after a night of binging with a pretty Australian girl (Rebecca Breeds, pretty and amiable) Farhan stands in front of the mirror and slaps himself for messing up on the field.

Each slap makes us flinch. These are not faked slaps. Farhan takes Milkha's pain embarrassment and self-abnegation on his chin. 


Mehra's is not a simple sports-to-glory tale like Chariots Of Fire. This is not just a film about a sportsperson who brought untold glory to our country. 

As told by Mehra Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is the story of an individual's journey from nullity to pinnacles of success in a world where politics and violence are constant reminders of how little an individual's aspirations matter in the larger often murkier scheme. 


To compare it with Paan Singh Tomar would be akin to comparing the voices of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. 

In Prasoon Joshi's interpretation of Milkha's amazing success-story, yearning is the cornerstone to achievement.

In 1947 when India became two nations we see little Milkha (Jabtej Singh, endearing) run for his life to escape the savage butchery that snatches away almost his entire family. (Only his dear sister, played wonderfully by Divya Dutt) remains. This is the Sholay massacre without a Gabbar to rationalize the evil. As we see it, Milkha never stopped running since the trauma of Partition.


The 'run' as a metaphor of life's expedient circumstances, runs through the narrative. Mehra's storytelling moves into crucial episodes in Milkha's life unannounced. The brilliant unsparing editor P Bharathi follows no predictable pattern. Yet, the editing is not selfconsciously elusive and mystifying as it was Anurag Basu's Barfi. 

Happily the screen- time is as much taken up with Milkha's record-breaking achievements on the field, as it is with vignettes from his personal life.


There is a robust heartwarming romance between Milkha and the vessel-friendly kudi Biro (Sonam Kapoor, looking prettier than ever). Writer Joshi and director Mehra invest inexpressible warmth in the protagonist's courtship scenes. We've seen this kind of love blossom on Punjab's soil before. But it it still feels special and unique. 

Farhan does the rest. 


He gets tremendous support from other actors, specially Divya Dutta who is incomparably sincere as Milkha's supportive sister. Don't miss the sequence between the siblings where Milkha makes his sister wear his sports blazer. It wets eyes while transporting us into the Milkha innerworld. 

Pavan Malhotra as Milkha's coach is as usual, first-rate. Really, this actor should be doing a lot more work! 


But then, Indian filmmakers seldom have the vision and insight that Mehra invests into almost every moment of this unforgettable tale. There are no exaggerated dramatic flourishes here, no playing to the galleries. 

Unlike other period films in recent times which have conveniently and lazily resorted to antiques, artifacts and vintage songs, 1950s in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag simply and effortlessly emerges from the character and his milieu. 


Binod Pradhan's camera glides across Milkha's inner and outer world searching for a meeting point between the two worlds through visuals that suggest a comfortable kinship between feelings and their geopolitical counter-point. We often see Milkha on screen in situations where his emotional world is manifested in the interaction with the people around him. 

Binod Pradhan's cinematography tells it like it is. There is a complex design to the seeming simplicity of this saga of a simple Sikh who would guzzle two cans of ghee on challenge and run to the winning post on feet mauled by jealous rivals. 


Who said life could ever be easy for those who aspire to fly higher than the rest? The beautiful irony of Milkha Singh's life that this consummate bio-pic captures so ably, is that he really didn't aspire to anything. He ran simply because he had to. 

The rest, as they say, is history. Rakeysh Mehra looks at this life of stunning serendipity with tremendous warmth, hope and longing. 

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is the kind of cinema that doesn't tempt us to share the protagonist's life with any false hopes. We the audience are driven into a desperate urge to share Milkha's life not only because he ran fast but because he wasn't afraid to stumble, falter and fall. 


Ironically this film on Milkha rarely slips up, if ever. 

At one point in an under-punctuated flashback we hear Milkha confide in his sweetheart that he would like the government to declare a national holiday in his honour. 


I recommend a national holiday for the entire nation to go and see Run Milkha Run. It makes the other recent high-profile acclaimed films look hopelessly inadequate.

Milkha Singh's Life Is A Great Reference Point For Young People: Farhan Akhtar

Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar has been given the seal of approval for his performance as India's legendary sprinter Milkha Singh in 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' by the man himself.

"Farhan has played the part so well, he is almost a duplicate copy of Milkha Singh from every angle. He made me cry," said the 77-year-old runner.

"India is falling behind today in the field of athletics. That is the reason I wanted this story told so that the coming generation can know about Milkha Singh and all the hard work and sweat that goes into athletics. My hope now is that the gold medal that slipped from my grip in the Rome Olympics, can be won by them in my lifetime," Milkha said at the gala screening of the film in central London on Friday evening.

He was joined on the red carpet by the film's lead actors- Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor, as well as director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and writer Prasoon Joshi.

"I think every generation needs reference points and Milkha Singh's life is a great reference point for young people. His life can be a blueprint at some level that it can never get tougher than this," said Akhtar, who trained formonths to embody the character of the toned athlete on screen.

'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', which releases worldwide on July 12, traces the story of the sprinter's life through the vagaries of the Partition of India in 1947, during which his family was brutally killed, to a life of petty crime and his redemption as an Army officer.

"This is not about his gold medal. It is about a lost childhood and the sheer need to live life to the fullest. We all know about the legend but the film explores how he may have lost an important race but won in life," said Mehra.

"There is a lot of noise in South Asia around cricket and movies and everything else seems to get drowned. That is what makes this film more unique, un-Bollywood and more World cinema. We don't have answers but just thoughts we can share with the audience," he added.

Farhan Akhtar did 18 months of extreme exercise for `Bhaag Milkha Bhaag`

Farhan Akhtar, who will be portraying legendary Indian Olympian Milkha Singh in his upcoming film ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, spent 18 months toning up his body.

The movie talks of Singh’s life as a gold medal-winning track and field sprinter who triumphed over personal adversity, Sky News reported.

Director Rakeysh Omprakesh Mehra told the publication that Singh has inspired his entire generation in more ways than one.

Mehra wanted to keep Akhtar looking very authentic, and so he also made sure that the actor learnt how to sprint like an Olympian.

The filmmaker appointed a team including an athletics coach and a fitness trainer, who helped him complete his transformation.

The team also ensured that Akhtar followed a strict exercise and diet programme over 18 months.

Milkha Singh jets off to London!

Legendary athlete Milkha Singh will be leaving for London today for the premiere of 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', the film which is based on his sprinting career. He will be accompanied byFarhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor, as well as director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

Talking exclusively to TOI, Milkha said, "There's a special screening of the film in London. Farhan insisted that I join them. He said I have many fans there who want to see me in person. So I decided to join them."

Meanwhile, Milkha has given his wholesome approval to the film. "I saw the film in Delhi. I have no objections to any portions in it. I think it's a film that will inspire many youngsters," Milkha said, rather confidently.

But did he have any reservations on seeing Farhan, who plays Milkha's on screen persona, kissing Australian actress Rebecca Breeds? "No. It's okay. Times have changed. The film has to deal with today's audience. Moreover which youngster does not kiss at some point or the other in his youth?" he laughingly added.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag music review: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy render a winning soundtrack!

Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi
Singers: Siddharth Mahadevan, Sukhwinder Singh, Divya Kumar, Javed Bashir, Shreya Ghoshal, Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa

Music directors Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy haven’t come up with a memorable album for a long time now. Their last hit soundtrack was Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara in 2011. And Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag seems to be a good opportunity for the trio to get back into the game.

The album starts with a short and soulful Gurbani sung by Daler Mehndi, which gets you into the perfect mood for the other songs.

Attention quickly shifts to the high energy number Zinda. Sung by Shankar Mahadevan’s son Siddharth Mahadevan, this rock number is forceful and catchy. Siddharth has a fresh, promising voice, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he sang loads of playback numbers in the coming days – a worthy heir to his father’s crown, perhaps.

Mere yaar is a guitar melody with Punjabi beats and lyrics that give it a very warm flavour. Javed Bashir’s voice is strong and appropriate for this rustic love song.

Maston ka jhund is definitely better than a lot of bhangra numbers that are heard these days. It’s a situational and fun song sung by Divya Kumar, and despite the use of western instruments like guitar and drums, it retains its earthiness.

Sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Javed Bashir, O rangrez is a semi-classical love song. It’s the best composition on this album – the tabla, harmonium and violin harmony is especially beautiful.

Slow motion angreza is essentially a country song – the English portions are sung by Loy Mendonsa and the Hindi parts are sung by Sukhwinder Singh. It’s a sweetly retro composition, very different from anything we’ve heard in the recent past. Kudos to the trio for coming up with a fusion track of this kind!

Bhaag Milkha bhaag rock version is catchy, fast-paced and easy on the ear. Singer Siddharth Mahadevan shows that he has the range to pull off a high-voltage number like this one. The lyrics by Prasoon Joshi are inspirational – phook de khud ko jwala jwala, bin jale na hove ujala, lapat hai aag Milkha.

The songs of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag are situational and go perfectly with the milieu of the film. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have definitely come up with a winning soundtrack for this biopic on champion athlete Milkha Singh.

Amitabh Bachchan And Shahrukh Khan Join Hands For Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is leaving no stone un-turned for his upcoming ambitious movie, “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,” a biopic on Indian athlete, Milkha Singh. The latest buzz is that he has roped in two of the biggest names in Bollywood – Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan for a song. The two biggies will appear in a promotional video, as a part of the marketing strategy for the movie.

Well, the news does not come as a surprise as the two actors share a good rapport with Farhan Akhtar, the leading star of “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.” In fact, SRK had recently shot an ad to facilitate Farhan’s MARD campaign.

Farhan’s look for the movie has already received thumbs-up from media and fans. Following the strict regime of runners, he has worked immensely hard for his lean sportsman look.

“Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” also features Sonam Kapoor and is slated for a July 2013 release.