Mary Kom

I decided to post this review a few days after watching it because I wanted the noise around the movie to settle down. I am finally active on twitter and sometimes it can get very noisy.

This is one of those movies hubby and I watched without checking reviews. I wouldn't have watched it if the reviews were bad but he was adamant. And since he is really adamant about a movie I didn't really bother whether it is good or bad.

The good part is Mary Kom is still in the news so it is the right time for this movie. When Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was made not everyone had heard of him. I definitely didn't know who he was. Btw, there will be a lot of comparisons between BMB and MK.


The movie traces Mary's journey from a poor farmer's daughter to an Olympics world champion... her father's discouragement of boxing (to put it very mildly)... getting selected at the national level... the federation's ill treatment of the boxers... her coach's efforts.... Mary's temper which makes her shave her head... her marriage to Onler which creates a rift between coach and her... getting pregnant with twins... going back to boxing and reconciling with her coach... becoming a champion again.

The movie is only 2 hours making it very crisp and to the point. There is no unnecessary drama (except in the end). In fact, any situation which would have been heightened in a typical Bollywood movie is given a realistic treatment. For example, Mary is offered a job as a hawaldar by the government... it could have been treated like a typical masala scene but it is not... which is very good. Instead, Mary and her husband laugh over it later.

The best part about the movie, apart from Priyanka, is Onler- her husband. Played by Darshan Kumar I love how supportive he is... always encouraging her... believing in her... and knowing exactly what to say when. So unlike Bollywood husbands. There is no insecurity, no feeling of 'I am known as Mary Kom's husband' shit.

Priyanka is super awesome. She is Mary throughout. There has been a lot of criticism online that she does not look like Mary. THAT is just stupid. Why does she need to look like Mary? She just needs to 'play' Mary's character. I don't think any other actress could have done justice to this role.

Coming to things I did not like... the end. It was too emotional, dragged out and so unlike the entire movie. Why do directors give in to the pressure to dramatize something? It wasn't required.
I also felt like the movie lacked a punch... either the director should have focused on her first Olynmpic win or the last one. Like it was in Chak De... where the focus was on Kabir's return as a coach. The movie did not get into what happened before that... it wasn't relevant.

But I still think it is so much better than BMB which had Farhan pretending to be Milkha. I did not know what Milkha felt or who he was while in MK I knew exactly how she is.

Don't miss it. Btw, anyone remember Omung Kumar dancing to 'Ek Minute, Ek Minute... bas Ek Minute' on Zee TV?