This should be viewed as a series like Roots or Breaking Bad. 3.5 hours but wonderfully told and the music is to die for. The leads are excellent even as you realize this movie is about as stylized and unrealistic as, say, Field of Dreams or Rocky. It IS a sport movie, a love story, a 5* musical and a dip into Indian life.
Super well-worth the time to see it AND it's accompanying Madness in the Desert which is 1.5 hrs of how this movie was made. Both are on Netflix. I saw this part first and was mesmerized. Then, set up like a bowling pin, I was knocked down and out by the film Highest recommendation!