Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says Sonam Kapoor did Bhaag Milkha Bhaag for Rs 11, Milkha Singh gave rights for Re 1: ‘And Farhan said…’

Based on the life of legendary athlete Milkha Singh, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag chronicled the Olympian's rise to the top.

Mumbai | November 21, 2022 03:28 PM IST

3 min read

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra directed Sonam Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. (Photo: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra/Instagram)

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra mounted his acclaimed drama Bhaag Milkha Bhaag on passion and generosity of its lead star cast, actors Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor.

Based on the life of legendary athlete Milkha Singh, the film chronicled the Olympian’s rise to the top as he charts his way from the India-Pakistan partition to emerge as one of the most acclaimed athletes of the country. Milkha was a champion of the Commonwealth Games and two-times 400m champion of the Asian Games.

In an interview with Aaj Tak, Mehra recalled that there were several people already in line to buy Milkha Singh’s life rights for a film adaptation, offering him as much as Rs 1.5 crore, but the late athlete and especially his son, golfer Jeev Milkha, trusted him with the responsibility. “Milkha Singh ji didn’t used to watch films so he didn’t know whether to trust me. But his son had seen Rang De Basanti. He watches a lot of films so he said if someone has to make a film on him, it has to be (me).

“Milkha Singh ji had received many offers for a film to be made on him. One of the offers was of Rs 1.5 crore for the film rights. I said I don’t have that much money, so you tell me, whatever it is we will do it. You won’t believe but they charged only one rupee for the rights,” Mehra recalled.

The filmmaker said such was the power of universe which ensured that the film was made, that even Sonam and Farhan agreed to do the film generously. “Sonam took Rs 11 to act in the film. Farhan said, ‘Whatever comes to your mind, give me. The story you’re telling is straight from the heart. Hum hisaab baad mein kar lege, pehle film banate hai.'”

Written by Prasoon Joshi, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag released to widespread acclaim in 2013. The film emerged as one of the biggest hits of the year, with Farhan garnering rave reviews for his spirited turn as the athlete.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Farhan Akhtar reunited for last year’s sports drama, Toofaan. The film, which had a direct-to-streaming release last year, received mixed reviews.

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