Mary Kom

No, this isn't 'Million Dollar Baby" and No, this isn't "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" too. But it literally reveals you the real Mary Kom: A Boxer, A Fighter, A Wife, A Mother and A Gentle soul. It works because it has got heart at the right place and it's the moments which makes it a 'feel- good' cinematic offering. Despite following the same (read,overdone) structure which many sports theme based films worldwide have used and even some of the crucial parts which have literally been extended, just for the heck of generating extra emotional factor, the film at some extent, succeeds in showing the Struggle, the Nepotism, the Red-Tape and the hope in an entertaining manner which makes it a worth your buck. Based on the Boxing legend MC Mary Kom, the film, within it's compact cinematic constraint scores because of it's supporting characters, especially Suraj Thapa, Rajni Basumatary, Shishir Sharma, Darrshan Kumar Singh and Lin Laishram who brilliantly add support to the protagonist, the hard-hitting dialogues penned by Karan Singh Rathore and Ramedra Vashishth with an excellent Manipuri touch by Bijou Thaangjam, the comes a canvas-like cinematography by Keiko Nakahara, editing by Rajesh G. Pandey and Sanjay Leela Bhansali is somewhere quite classy, the production design work by Vanita Omung Kumar and then the BG Score by Rohit Kulkarni. Full marks to Priyanka Chopra, who showcases the best of her energy, stamina and excellence on screen, carrying the film brilliantly on her shoulders. Overall, despite having being strayed in between in showcasing the best of Magnificent Mary, director Omung Kumar at some extent, succeeds in showcasing the legend and her times, which makes it a must watch not only for entertainment, but for some new energy, some 'feel-good' factor and even the need of having more focus on our other Champions.

I have read a lot of criticism of this film lately. Many critics commented that the film lacked a proper melodrama and screenplay could have been bettered. Well, I also felt the film lacked certain punches in the screenplay; but overall, the film is a very sincere effort to present the life story of a sports person. I simply found three very strong reasons to admire this film.

The first reason is the story. Very few Hindi films have done justice with the real life characters. And this one fully handles the story of a north Indian girl who defies her father by choosing boxing. Bollywood recently lacked good stories in its films and "Mary Kom" just sincerely fills the void. The second reason is its clarity in presentation. The film nowhere compromises for the formulaic sequences and remains truthful to its backdrop. Very few directors dare to make a complete sports movie which this does. And the last and the most strong reason is the performances. Though Priyanka doesn't look like a North Indian girl she steals the show by appearing ferocious boxer and a loving mother. Perhaps this is her second best film I've watched after "Fashion." Similarly, Sunil Thapa and Darshaan Kumar in very unpolished roles also do deliver good performances.

Well, don't go with a great hype for this film. It's simply a good and a naturalistic film in a dearth of good movies. Trust me, you won't leave your seats with a scorn.

Rating: 3 stars out of 4

Every Husband should be like him....and every one should be like Her....THe Magnificent Mary......

I went to watch the movie with a feeling that it will be a disappointment...Coz the promos were way to commercialised...But Just like M C Mary Kom.....The movie came out to be a huge surprise....The barfee gal...again showed....no one could have portrayed the living legend better....Set on the background of beautiful Manipur, the movie started with a pregnant mary being rushed to hospital by her husband Amisdt riot...It took a flashback, where a wild Manipuri girl,bashing guys, was trying to have a name in the male dominated society.....Chungnejiang was wild, not focused and raw...Priyanka never missed a single part to portray the legend's wilderness..From a farmer to World champion...It was never an easy task...Co-incidence bought that wild lady to the boxing arena, where her stubborness earned her a place in boxing...from there she was coached by yet another Stubborn but levelheaded coach of Manipuri boxing fed....She won back to back three world championship....got married, had kids and was forgotten...But no one can stop legends...with the help of yet another magnificent man, her husband, She fought back to earn a name, her name, her place....From there she won two more world championship and to make us very proud,She won India her first Olympic female Bronze medal in boxing at 2012....

With such an inspiring story, magnificent star cast, appropriate songs, Dropdead gorgeous background and those essence from My NorthEast...Indeed the movie was grand....ANd by the end scene , I promise when u will stand up for the national anthem , u will shed tears of joy....and pride...Mary Kom is all about Struggle and Survival... Director Umang, Did a fabulous job..Screenplay was way better

KISIKO ITNA BHI MAT DARAO...KE WOH DARNA HI BHOOL JAE.... A mother, A Wife, A fighter, A multiple time world champion and olympic medalist.....she is indeed Magnificent Mary....

Couple of brilliant knocks with plenty of bad misses. Could have been an excellent epic movie but overall turned out to be an average one. Tried to show a lot of things in a chaotic manner which lacked finesse. Pee Cee was sometimes good, specially the training period. The director seemed totally confused and lacked focus. There were plenty things which were over done like too much of useless aggression which could have been shown in a better way, people spoke in manipuri Hindi accent and again the same suddenly had a flawless Hindi outburst and the worst was Pee Cee in sweet 16 school uniform ... sorry utterly unaccepted. Its a good one time watch though, has all the content of a typical family weekend movie with love, inspiration, Patriotism and sportsmanship which again could have been like the outstanding "Rocky Balboa" types .... but sadly not, as I said a big disappointment !!!

I am a hard core movie fan and I was impressed after watching the trailer of 'MARY KOM' and decided that I have to watch this movie. I have always been a big fan of sports movies be it Chak De India, Iqbal or Lagaan. The movie is a 'Biopic' of Indian Boxer 'Mary Kom' who hails from Manipur. How she becomes Boxer, relationship with her father, struggles in career, discovering her husband and other hurdles faced on road to being a champion.

What works in the movie?

Acting: A brilliant portrayal by Priyanka chopra s Mary Kom, she has worked really hard for the film and you can clearly see that effort visible on the screen both physically (Training) and mentally (Acting).

Cinematography: I must really applaud the way the cinematographer has pictured the boxing ring, locations, moods, emotions, lighting. Really good job.

Music & BGM: The nom is, sports movies shouldn't have songs but major movie going population in India is accustomed to songs and the Director has managed to place the songs subtly in the movie intelligently.

What doesn't work?

Editing: Editing is very important aspect of the movie, it majorly determines the big factor 'length' The movie is about 2 hour 5 minutes and for a Biopic I thought this wasn't enough, it needed to be a bit long.

Fight sequences: I was disappointed with the fight sequences in the movie. The boxing match that takes place in the ring should have been better choreographed, c'mon? You are showing a world champion boxer you got to get it as close to reality as possible. No comparisons but see the movie 'Million Dollar baby'.

Direction and Screenplay: I think the director should have worked better on the screenplay which keeps the audiences hooked to the screen; there were moments where I was not interested on what's going in the screen. It's a challenging job for the director to capture a biopic as you cannot make major alterations to the story and you have to keep it as close to the reality.

After watching this movie my respect towards Priyanka as an Actor has increased to the next level and I knew Mary Kom is a boxer in India but after this movie she holds highest respect as a sports person in my world. I give this movie a 7/10 and I would recommend a onetime watch.

Oh and more point: You should stand up at the end of the movie if you are an 'Indian'