"I became very emotional after watching certain scenes as they reminded me of my days of struggle. The film brought alive memories of the Partition when I did not have a job or enough food. I burst into tears to see my initial days unfold on the big screen," the 82-year-old sportsman said. The Chandigarh-based 'Flying Sikh' charged just Rs 1 to let Mehra make his biopic. Milkha was all praise for actor Farhan Akhtar, who plays the sportsman in the film. Milkha said a special screening was arranged for him recently and he was impressed by the work of Mehra and Akhtar. "Farhan looks like my duplicate in the film. He has done a great job. Rakeysh and also the dialogues and the lyrics by Prasoon Joshi have impressed me a lot," he said, adding that entire Milkha family is looking forward to the release of the movie and its success. Singh is currently attending to his ailing wife in Gurgaon, who recently suffered a fracture after she slipped in the bathroom. Though his life has got a big screen treatment, Singh is not a movie buff in real life unlike his golfer son Jeev Milkha Singh.

"Honestly speaking, I haven't watched a single Hindi film since 1960 and my knowledge about Bollywood is poor. The last films, I remember seeing are those of Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Ashok Kumar including Shri 420, Awara and Mahal, but Jeev is a movie buff. Even on tours, he makes it a point to watch Hindi movies regularly. "In fact, it was Jeev's decision to chose the director, who was impressed after watching 'Rang De Basanti'," he said. Recalling his days as a sportsman, Milkha said he still regrets missing Rome Olympic medal. "Until my last breath, I will remember that and before I die I want someone else to win that medal for India. The present-day youth gives me hope. I want them to get get inspired by watching the movie, which is the main idea behind the film," he added. Also, starring Sonam Kapoor, the film is slated to release on July 12.