Average fare. Review on Mary Kom

Sports biopics are in. What began with the super duper ‘Chak De!’ to the more recent, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, the audiences have always taken to sports films with aplomb. In fact, the film ‘Mary Kom’ had already got tax exemptions in states like Maharashtra, prior to its release. What makes Mary Kom different from the other biopics is that Mary Kom is still active in the sporting circuits, as against other protagonists who were retired when the films were made on them.

Needless to say, the film is based on 5-time world champion, M.C Mary Kom. The eldest of three children born to a wrestler father and a homemaker mother, Mary Kom grew up in a small, impoverished household in Manipur. Right from childhood, she is shown to be a stubborn, angry, short-tempered and fiery young girl who never hesitates to beat up local bullies when the time beckons. By accident, she lands in a boxing training school and almost coerces the trainer to teach her. Through sheer hard work and determination, she finds herself selected for the state level and later, national level championships, even though her father is against girl children taking to boxing. She finds a friend and supporter in footballer, Onler whom she eventually marries. How a woman from a small town conquers the world of boxing, in spite of being the mother of 2 kids is what Mary Kom is all about.

Mary Kom, the film fails to pay to a fitting tribute to Mary Kom, the living legend. Somehow, the film does not effectively capture her struggle and focusses too much on melodrama. The screenplay is poor and the parts where they try to show the political turmoil in Manipur is shaky and unconvincing. Some parts are particularly tacky, especially where they have unwanted promotions of products such as Iodex or Sugarfree.

But the film does have its positives, the primary one being an absolutely top-notch performance from Priyanka Chopra. She excels in her portrayal of the magical boxer, and successfully delivers a gamut of emotions, be it anger, frustration, helplessness, elation or anything that the role demands. And in spite of all its flaws, one never feels bored during the entire duration of the movie, which is quite an achievement in itself. The actor who plays Mary’s husband looks really good and has done a splendid job along with the rest of the supporting cast, with a special mention to the actors who played her father and her coach.

All in all, it is a highly watchable film. I would rate it a 3 out of 5 stars. Mary Kom is a good film, but since we're talking about ‘Magnificent Mary’, it is a bit of a let-down. However, considering the dearth of good films around, it wouldn't be a bad idea to watch a movie on a national icon who has made India proud.