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No index of acting transformations is complete without Farhan Akhtar. He didn’t just act; he became Milkha Singh. His sprinting form was analyzed by sports scientists; his dialogue delivery ("Mera naam… Milkha Singh") is still used in acting schools. On the for Bollywood, Farhan ranks alongside Christian Bale in The Machinist .

Milkha Singh sold the film rights for ₹1, with a clause that a share of the profits would go to the Milkha Singh Charitable Trust.

While it accurately depicts his childhood and 1960 Rome Olympics heartbreak, the film takes creative liberties, such as portraying him breaking a world record, which did not happen.