It was an all together different experience for Prasoon Joshi to know about 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh through the eyes of the athlete's close friends and neighbours while working on the biopic 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'.
The film has been directed by 'Rang De Basanti' helmer Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and stars Farhan Akhtar in the title role.
During his research for the script, Prasoon went to the old neighbourhood where Milkha grew up and met his friends, family and people associated with him to understand the athlete better.
"I went to as many places as I could. While writing about his life, it is important to not just listen to him, but also know from people who knew him. As the film isn't about a fictitious character, we had to be extra careful. But I have taken some liberty with the story.
"Milkhaji is an exceptional human being. I am just happy that I got an opportunity to know him. I got a lot of insight on how his life was, on how he experienced many problems and fought against all odds. His life and struggle makes other people's problems seem small," Prasoon said.
