Manoj Bajpayee starrer Budhia Singh – Born To Run is based on tragic story of a young slum boy who dreams of making it as a marathon runner in Olympics someday.
Budhia’s story is a distinctively Indian tragedy, says Anupama Chopra in her review. According to her, the story of Budhia Singh is stranger than fiction.
Talking about the structure of the film, she says,
“Wisely, debutant director Soumendra Padhi doesn’t pick sides. He dramatizes the facts but he doesn’t gloss over the ugliness. Biranchi is driven by complex motives. He thrives on the attention and power that Budhia’s talent gives him. His training methods are awful – at one point, he makes Budhia run by dangling a water bottle in front of him. But Biranchi also gives the little boy affection and a purpose. Without Biranchi, Budhia’s life becomes anchorless.”
However, she feels the movie lacked lustre and direction and feels the repeated visuals of various marathons become, quite literally, a slog. She says, “I also felt like I never really got enough insight into Budhia’s head – he’s rebellious and mischievous and he really wants a red bicycle. But what drives Budhia to run and run and run?”
She rated it with three stars.