Must Watch: Mary Kom

Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, known to the world as just Mary Kom is arguably India’s most successful athlete. Wold Championships, Olympic medals, Padmashri, Padma Bhushan, Arjun award...the list of her awards and achievements is very, very long. Her autobiography, Unbreakable, was published by Harper Collins in late 2013. So far, Mary Kom has received seasonal celebrations each time she has won on the international stage. But the celebrations get over rather quickly because, let’s face it, India seems incapable of sustained celebration of any athlete other than cricketers.

But Bollywood is giving cheer to neglected sports and ignored sports people of the country. First Chak De India did a great deal for the sport which is the official national game: hockey. Then, the biopic, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag brought the story of the Flying Sardar to all of us. Both these films were massive box-office successes. Both have been declared blockbusters based on their total revenues. In 2007, Chak De India was the third highest grosser with domestic revenues of 676.9 million. Bhaag Milha Bhaag became the fifth highest grossing Bollywood film worldwide in 2013, besides winning almost all film awards in the country.

Now Sanjay Leela Bhansali has turned the spotlight on Mary Kom with her biopic which is scheduled for release on September 5^th.  The trailers really draw focus on the struggles that this gild from a village in Manipur must have faced to slowly climb her way into a sport which is not particularly encouraged as a career choice for girls.

Request everyone to see the movie – not for the producer, not for the actress (Priyanka Chopra) – but for the athlete, Mary Kom.