By Hindustan Times
Director-producer-singer-scriptwriter and actor Farhan Akhtar, readying to emulate The Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh, met him again this week in Chandigarh. Before this, the 2 have had just one official meeting within the Capital, where they discussed the movie.
The father of two, who will start filming Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s version of the sprinter’s life story early next month, admits he found him extremely inspiring. “Meeting Milkha Singh any collection of times is inadequate for a sport lover. Of course, as a part of my preparation for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, I’ve met him once after the film was announced and that i came on board to emulate him. And then, we’ve met this week when he passed on his iconic pair of brogues to me,” says Farhan, adding, “He’s an inspiration from head to toe. He proves that an athlete never loses that fighting spirit.”
Is there a work of recommendation the true Milkha has passed directly to his reel version? Farhan says there’s multiple. “When he's taking you thru his struggles, you’re certain to get goose bumps. For me and many others, he’s independent India’s first hero outside the political and social circles,” he beams.
The actor will start shooting for the film next month. He might also travel to Pakistan to film certain key portions of the biopic. “I think Rakeysh would be the best person to reply to this question. We’re flagging off the shoot in Punjab and the scenes that we are going to shoot within the first and second schedule. But I’m unsure if we’ll really travel to Pakistan. There are too many factors involved,” says Farhan.
When the 38-year-old multi-tasker accepted an acting assignment outside his own banner, it was rumoured that he was planning to transport on. Bring this up and Farhan says, “Interestingly, in over a decade of creating my company, I’ve directed only a few films, and at extremely long intervals. I’m doing something at a time. When I finish this film, I'M HOPING to come back to direction towards the tip of next year. Within the meantime, I’ll consider subjects and even perhaps freeze one!”
