i watched bhaag milka bhaag for the first time in 2014. one scene that i distinctly remember was the scene where they tear apart milka singh’s clothes, and he shouts in agony. It haunts me even today. but i rewatched the movie a couple of months ago, and i found something magical.
the movie starts with the 1960 rome olympics. milka singh is right on top, cruising along his opponents until, his coach yells “Bhaag Milka Bhaag,” and a series of memories flash. we are still not sure what these memories mean, but they derail him, and Push him to a mere defeat.
i never understood why those memories flash when the coach yells those three words. but i’ve started to understand it now.
those three words aren’t just words to inspire him or to motivate him. those three words, “Bhaag Milka Bhaag,” take him back to his childhood. when he was still innocent, and all he knew was happiness. when everyone in his family killed in front of him, and his father, who was about to be killed, shouts “Bhaag Milka Bhaag”, “Don’t look back”, those are the memories that get triggered by those three words.
i think all of us go through something like this. a place where we cried, a time in the past when we lost someone important, a fragrance that takes us back to childhood. moments like these trigger memories which are unbearable.
but i think it takes someone like Milkha Singh to face those memories. when he goes back to Pakistan for a race, and for the first time in his adult years, he decides to enter the same place where he lost everything. and as he enters the place, these memories slowly flash in front of him. and when he gets there, he does nothing, except getting down on his knees and crying. he has finally embraced his memories and the pain associated with all of them.
all of us have memories we don’t talk about, memories we don’t want to refresh. and i hope somewhere in the future, you find the courage to face those fears head on.