Gayatri Sankar of Zee News wrote, "If you are a patriotic Indian, you will be left teary eyed and your head held high." Yahoo! Movies' review summed up, "Mehra has helmed 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' into a compelling story and an exemplar of cinematic brilliance; that it is also an inspiring tale almost seems to be a by-product." Hrithik Roshan praised Akhtar's performance and deemed the film to be "phenomenal". Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan highly praised it on his blog, describing it as "too emotionally and creatively moving to put anything down in words". Carl Lewis watched "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" in the US and called Milkha Singh in India to express his appreciation for the film and the athlete. Aseem Chhabra of Rediff.com gave a mixed review and reasoned that film does not offer anything new. However, he praised Akhtar's performance, writing "If there is one reason to see "BMB" it is to watch Akhtar – how much he has evolved as an actor and the sincerity with which he immerses himself in the character." NDTV echoed the same sentiment, ""Bhaag Milkha Singh" is a 400 meters sprint that feels like a cross-country race." Despite praising the technical aspects and music, Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN criticised the length: "The film itself is well intentioned and shines a light on an important figure. The film is an ambitious account of the first 27 years or so of celebrated Indian sprinter Milkha Singh's roller-coaster life. But it's too long and too unfocused to leave a lasting impression." Robert Abele of the "Los Angeles Times" described the film as "a stirring bio of Milkha Singh", while Nicolas Rapold of "The New York Times" said that "the movie strikes its chosen couple of notes resoundingly, making clear what makes Singh run." Twitch Film's review said, "[..]in the grand scheme of things. "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" is easily one of the best mainstream films to come out of Bollywood this year." Scott Foundas of "Variety" described it as a "rousing and handsomely crafted biopic". Lisa Tsering of "The Hollywood Reporter" opined that the biopic "requires viewer endurance, but pays off with an exhilarating climax." Digital Spy praised the work and said, "It is a blessing that this film was made and the inspiring story of India's greatest sporting hero told to a generation who might otherwise never have known the legend of 'The Flying Sikh.'"