Mary Kom (film)

Mary Kom
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Omung Kumar
Produced by	Viacom 18 Motion Pictures Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Written by	Karan Singh Rathore Ramendra Vasishth (dialogue)
Screenplay by	Saiwyn Quadras
Story by	Saiwyn Quadras
Starring	Priyanka Chopra Darshan Kumaar Sunil Thapa
Music by	Songs: Shashi Suman and Shivam Pathak Background Score: Rohit Kulkarni
Cinematography	Keiko Nakahara
Edited by	Rajesh G. Pandey Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Production company	Bhansali Productions
Distributed by	Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
Release dates	5 September 2014
Running time	122 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹150 million (US$2.2 million)[2]
Box office	est. ₹1.04 billion (US$15 million)[3]

Mary Kom is a 2014 Indian biographical sports film directed by Omung Kumar and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film stars Priyanka Chopra in the lead role of the eponymous boxer, with Darshan Kumar and Sunil Thapa in supporting roles as her husband and mentor, respectively. The film depicts Kom's journey of becoming a boxer to her victory at the 2008 World Boxing Championships in Ningbo. Chopra made her first appearance as a Hindi playback singer with the lullaby, "Chaoro", in the film.

The feature was developed by writer Saiwyn Quadras, who suggested the storyline to Kumar when Kom, despite her numerous achievements, was not a familiar name in India. Kumar met Kom to ask her permission for the film, much before her bronze medal victory at the 2012 Summer Olympics, which brought her recognition. Chopra underwent extensive physical training for three months to attain a muscular physique. She also trained for Kom's distinct boxing styles. Principal photography started in June 2013 at Filmistan Studio, where only the boxing sequences were filmed continuously for twenty days. After the plans to shoot in Kom's hometown Manipur were dropped due to safety concerns, the film was shot in Dharamshala and Manali, where a major portion of Manipur was recreated.

The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, becoming the first Hindi film to be screened on the opening night of the festival. The film was released on 5 September 2014 to generally positive reviews from critics, with Chopra receiving critical acclaim. Made on a budget of ₹150 million (US$2.2 million), the film grossed ₹1.04 billion (US$15 million) at the box-office, emerging as a commercial success. Mary Kom received several accolades at award ceremonies across India. The film won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment honor at the 62nd National Film Awards and was nominated at the 60th Filmfare Awards in the Best Film and the Best Actress (Chopra) categories.

Plot

The film opens with a pregnant Mangte Chungeijang Kom (Priyanka Chopra), heading towards the hospital with her husband Onler Kom (Darshan Kumaar). Onler is mistaken for an insurgent and beaten when he tries to find a vehicle despite a curfew. The film then shifts to a flashback with Kom, finding boxing gloves in the remains of an air crash in 1991, which prompted her interest in boxing despite her father's disapproval. During an early fight, she chases a boy and ends up in a boxing gym. After realising Narjit Singh (Sunil Thapa), coach of the gym, and of the Asian champion Dingko Singh, Kom tells him about her boxing aspirations. He asks her to visit the gym for the next thirty days and says that he will only teach her if she is deserving enough. She starts visiting the gym, informing her mother but not her father. Days pass but her coach does not enquire about her. Due to Kom's dedication and stubbornness, Singh starts training her, suggesting she change her name to Mary Kom.

After winning the state level championship, her father confronts her for keeping about her involvement in the sport from him. Her father asks her to choose between him and boxing: she chooses the sport. Kom has to fight a wrestler to arrange money to get her household cow back, which is where she meets the footballer Onler Kom.

After watching her victorious 2002 Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships match on television, Kom reconciles with her father, who apologises to her for not understanding her passion for the sport. Meanwhile, Onler proposes to her and agrees never to ask her to quit boxing. After she wins the 2006 Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships, Kom agrees to marry him; however, her coach shows his unhappiness towards the decision. After the marriage, Kom gets pregnant and gives up her career to look after her family.

Kom gives birth to twins and applies for a government job. However, she refuses the position of a police constable, feeling that as a world-champion boxer, she is above that. It devastates her to learn that people no longer recognise her. Onler encourages her to revive her boxing training. She joins the gym again, leaving her husband to look after the twins at home. Her coach is still upset about her decision to marry, but Kom makes a comeback in the National Boxing Championship. Despite performing better than her opponent, she loses the match due to the apparent partiality of the judges. Kom throws a chair in anger towards them, resulting in a ban. She later writes an apology letter, and the official accepts it, not without insulting her.

Kom then asks Coach Singh to train her, as she thinks that he is the one who can get the best out of her. He starts training her with gruelling activities and she reaches the finals of the 2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships. Meanwhile, Onler Kom informs her about one of her children having ventricular septal defect. In the subsequent fight, Kom fails to defend herself. After a knockout punch from her opponent, Kom hallucinates about her husband and children in the audience. She regains her strength and fights back, winning the 2008 Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships. On the podium while accepting the medal, she learns that her son's surgery was successful and she is given the nickname "Magnificent Mary". The film ends with the Indian flag waving and the Indian national anthem.

Cast

• Priyanka Chopra as Mary Kom
• Sunil Thapa as M. Narjit Singh
• Darshan Kumar as Onler Kom
• Robin Das as Mangte Tonpa Kom
• Rajni Basumatary as Mangte Akham Kom
• Lin Laishram as Bem-Bem
• Bijou Thaangjam as Naobi
• Zachary Coffin as German boxing coach
• Bandari Raghavendra as Peter Michael
• Raghav Tiwari as Mangi
• Shishir Sharma as National team coach
• Shakti Sinha as S. Sharma
• Kenny Basumatary as Jimmy
• Ritika Murthy as journalist
• Raghav Tiwari as Mangi
• Binud Kumbang as Lalboi
• Pabitra Rabha Jalah as Asong
• Ramendra Vasishth as Federation official's assistant
• Rajesh Nigam as Federation official's assistant
• Deepak Kumar Singh as Alberto
• Mridul Satam as Young Mary Kom

Production

Development

Mary Kom was hailed as a National hero after the Olympic win, which also highlighted her previous achievements.

During his work as an art director on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya (2007), Omung Kumar started writing two scripts simultaneously for his directorial debut. However, neither of the films were made.^[4] He then asked writer Saiwyn Quadras to look for a woman-oriented biographical subject for his first film, specifying "a role that no actress would turn down."^[5] He added that he "wanted to make a film that would be like the Mother India of someone's career." Historical personalities such as Rani Laxmi Bai and Queen Elizabeth I of England came up for discussion; however they did not inspire Kumar.^[5] Quadras put forward the name of five-time world boxing champion Mary Kom, who despite numerous achievements, was at that time an unfamiliar name in India. Kumar admitted that he felt disgusted after being told of Kom's achievements as he was unaware of her existence. After Quadras approached Kumar with the script for Mary Kom, Kumar decided to make his directorial debut with a film about Kom.^[5][6]

Quadras, who was interested in sports, started writing the screenplay for the film in 2011, which took two years to complete.^[6] Quadras arranged a meeting with Kom via her manager in the year he started writing the script.^[6] Kumar went to Manipur to meet Kom and to seek her permission to make the film. However, Kom was surprised by the development as the sport, especially women's boxing, was not well known in India. However, she was enthusiastic about the idea.^[7]

When Omung came to me I was a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion. I was surprised why he would want to make a movie on me and thought he was joking or gone mad! Boxing, especially in women's section, is not so well known in India as it's hardly reported, and no one recognized me as Mary Kom.

 — Mary Kom, on the development of the film.^[7]

Research for the film was done through sources, online information, and newspaper archives. Her videos played a key role in the research.^[6] The writer also had several telephone and email conversations with Kom and her manager regarding her biography. In her interactions with Quadras and Kumar, Kom was honest and forthcoming when it came to the details of her life, and had significant input in the screenplay.^[6] However, Quadras's main challenge was to make the film authentic and cinematic, explaining that he wrote the film in a manner that showed the struggles Kom went through as a female sportsperson who had to confront opposition from her father, politics and making a comeback after a long career break.^[6] The film only shows the period from her early struggles and her comeback after motherhood. The fifth World Boxing Championship and the London Olympics were left out because of a contract that permitted to depict Kom's life up to 2008. The contract for the film was signed at that time when Kom was not even qualified for the London Olympics.^[8]

In a 2012 meeting with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, on being asked by Bhansali about his plans, Kumar told him about the film, explaining that this was not "his kind of cinema", given Bhansali's signature work. Still, he wanted to hear the story and was also enthusiastic towards the project. After hearing the script, he liked it and immediately agreed to produce the film.^[5][9] However, Kumar's colleagues were not sure if a film based in Manipur would be well received by the audience.^[4] This concern evaporated after the 2012 Summer Olympics, where Kom won a bronze medal. Her win also brought the recognition of her previous achievements.^[4][10] After the news of the development of the film broke in the media, the makers clarified that the film was in development since 2011, much before the Olympics, and they were not influenced by her recent success.^[11][12] In an interview with Press Trust of India, Bhansali revealed that the story of the film was so inspiring, it touched his heart and described the film as "a rare experiment". He added, "Not many films are based on biopics of living people. I am proud that I am part of this film."^[10]

Casting and characters

Priyanka Chopra was Omung Kumar's and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's original choice for the title role.^[5][13] In early November 2012, media reports suggested that Chopra entered negotiations to star in the film, which the actress denied initially.^[13] Later in that month, it was confirmed that she had been cast for the part.^[14] She was initially skeptical about the film due to the demanding nature of the character, which included training, muscle building and learning the sport. She later agreed to appear in the film because of Kumar's confidence in her.^[4] After Chopra was cast for the title role, Mary Kom revealed her own satisfaction with the choice of actor, calling her the "perfect choice".^[13][15] In an interview with Daily News and Analysis, Mary Kom said "I don't think anybody could have done it as well as Priyanka. She is the best actress to play me. Acting anybody can do, but boxing will be different as one needs a certain type of body structure. She suits that. Her body is very structured, like that of a boxer."^[7]

In contrast, it took the casting directors Shruti Mahajan and Parag Mehta several months of auditions to finalize the appropriate supporting actors for the film.^[5] In May 2013, It was reported that Danny Denzongpa was approached to play Kom's coach Narjit Singh in the film.^[16] Instead, Sunil Thapa was cast for the role of Kom's coach.^[17] Darshan Kumar was finalized as Kom's husband, footballer Onler Kom, after a series of auditions which included three different looks representing three different stages in his life.^[18][19] Robin Das, a National School of Drama professor, was cast in the role of Kom's father.^[17]

Kom and Chopra at the music release of the film

Before the shooting of the film began, Chopra prepared for three months. The preparations included building the physique of a boxer and learning the sport.^[20] Samir Jaura, who previously trained Farhan Akhtar for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was brought to train Chopra. Before agreeing to meet her, he saw Kom's fight videos to understand her body language.^[21] Chopra, at that time, was busy with her other works — filming for Gunday, and dubbing for Krrish 3.^[21] It was then decided that Jaura would accompany her to film shoots, so that continuity in training could be maintained.^[21] Though he did not get a chance to meet Kom, he prepared a workout plan with the help of her videos.^[17] She started training in April 2013 to develop body like a boxer.^[22][23] Chopra found it hard to train vigorously to attain a boxer's physique. She was put on a low-carb, high-protein diet.^[17] In an Interview with Deccan Chronicle, she said "As a girl it was very difficult to build those muscles. I had to build in three months what Mary did in 15 years."^[22]

Chopra got a fifteen days break from her other commitments to train continuously for the film. She relocated to her bungalow in Goa, where she would train for five hours every day.^[21] After completing workouts, which included weights and circuit training, she insisted on training for boxing. Later, boxing was made a part of her daily workout.^[21] She was particularly trained by Kom's coaches to learn her distinct boxing style.^[20] Chopra explained that she did not have to act like a boxer, but had to become one and said "To learn boxing was a religion. Today, I can play the sport as I know the rules, body posture, foot work, I can hit, I can defend. I know the game."^[24]

Chopra described Mary Kom as being a very special and personal film due to the inspiring theme. She revealed that she channelled grief of father's death into the film saying "I started this film at the hardest point in my life, four days after my father passed away. All my grief, everything, I have shoved into this movie. A part of my soul has gone into it."^[25][26] In an interview with Daily News and Analysis, Chopra revealed that since she could not look like her, she did not try to imitate Kom as her main focus was to represent Kom's spirit and personality.^[24] In July 2013, Chopra visited Kom's home town of Manipur to learn more about her life.^[27] As a part of her research, Chopra stayed with Kom and her family for three to four days, went to her boxing academy and church to learn more about her and called Kom for details.^[22] Kom stated "When she came to Manipur, she knew about boxing so I gave her tips as a mother and a wife, how I went about managing my home and profession, how I live with my family – basically she got to know aspects of my family life."^[28]

Darshan Kumar described his character as an "encouraging husband", who is the pillar of strength in Kom's life.^[29] He found the character challenging due to contrasting personalities. Unlike Chopra, Kumar did not met Onler Kom before the film, working mainly from videos provided by Kom to the makers, and helping the actor to understand the nuances of his character. For the role, he had to undergo training to learn the Manipuri accent, which was difficult for him being a Punjabi.^[30] Kumar had to lose 12 kg to look convincing, and followed a strict, grilled chicken and oil-free fish protein diet for three months.^[19]

Pre-production

The production design was handled by Kumar's wife Vanita, who had worked with her husband for several years. After plans to shoot in Manipur were dropped because of safety concerns, extensive research was done to find locations similar to Manipur.^[17][31] Their search ended in Himachal Pradesh, Manali, where a major portion of the state was created.^[31] Vanita used a real structure instead of a set to show Kom's childhood home in Kangathei. She recreated the look and feel of Manipur in Dharamsala and Manali.^[17]

During the search, she found two houses that were similar to the houses where Kom spent her childhood and where she lived after her marriage.^[4] For authenticity, the house was filled with items similar to those found at Kom's house such as indigenous short stools and woven curtains sourced from Manipur.^[17] The designers also created a room for her awards and trophies; Kom has a separate trophy room where all her awards are kept. Quotes from the Bible were added on the walls. A 19th-century church in Dharamsala was chosen for the wedding sequence.^[4] Vanita noted that "the cinematic realism, was a different experience from the grandeur of Bhansali's sets." However, Vanita found difficult to recreate the run-down gym where Kom was trained. A place was chosen with minimal facilities and water leaking onto the walls. She revealed that her sets had to feel authentic rather than artificially created.^[4] Designer Rajat Tangri handled costuming and visited Manipur to study fabric used in local clothing. Tangri used photographs from Kom's childhood to create clothing which ranged from traditional to sporty and athletic attires.^[17] For Kom's wedding sequence in the film, the designer created an exact replica of the wedding gown that Kom wore for her wedding.^[32]

The Hollywood-based makeup artist Mark Garbarino was selected to work on Chopra's makeup. At first, they wanted her to look exactly like Kom by using prosthetic makeup.^[33] Chopra did a prosthetic test in the United States which included heavier eyelids for a more East-Asian look. However, the final result did not appeal to the makers. Also, the prosthetic would not hold during filming of the heavy-action boxing scenes.^[33] It was later reported that Chopra's look would be created post production by using Visual effects.^[33] However, the results were unsatisfactory and hence, this idea was also dropped.^[34] Chopra said "We tried a bunch of stuff – Visual effects, prosthetics, makeup, [but] it looked too gimmicky. That's when we decided to go with just carrying the essence of the film, rather than the outer, cosmetic part."^[34] Later, Uday Shirali (Chopra's makeup artist since Agneepath) was hired.^[17] For creating boxing scars, makeup artist Subhash Shinde was employed. His biggest challenges was to make the fight marks look as realistic as possible as it required a lot of time and detailing.^[35] He stated, "Every punch or scar needed to look real, change colour and age with time on screen, and shouldn't look like they were created using makeup."^[35] He did some research by visiting hospitals to understand more about skin injuries.

Filming

The film was extensively shot in Manali

Principal photography started in June 2013 at Filmistan, Mumbai.^[36] Hindustan Times reported that the set was ready at Filmistan studio, but following Chopra's father's death, the plans for shooting were put on hold.^[36] To make the boxing scenes as authentic as possible some of the crew members, including Kumar, learnt boxing to get the necessary understanding of the sport to film the fight scenes.^[4] Initially, the makers had planned to use actors and teach them boxing to film the boxing scenes. However, they realised that it would become a task to teach boxing to actors, which would consume time.^[37] They also thought that if both Chopra and her opponents were not real boxers, it would not look convincing enough. Finally, professional boxers were employed to film the boxing sequences for giving a more natural feel and convincing look. Chopra found it very difficult filming the boxing scenes as she got hurt several times saying, "They are real boxers and they don't know how to fake a punch, they had to really hit you. So I had to get hit a lot and that was really hard."^[38] Robert Miller, the sports coordinator for films such as Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Chak De! India, was hired to choreograph the fight sequences.^[17]

The second schedule commenced in Manali in late March 2014, after Chopra was done with her other film commitments.^[4][39] Before filming, Chopra had to re-train herself all over again to build muscles.^[4] Bhansali planned an elaborate schedule for her, which would ensure that her physicality and agility were suitable before she started shooting for the film.^[40] While filming a sequence in a marketplace, more than ten thousand people gathered on the sets. Limited security arrangements had been made, which were not able to handle the crowds in what was not believed to be a heavily-populated area. When Chopra stepped out of her van, some fans tried to approach her, causing the general loss of control. Finally, the shoot was cancelled and crew had to leave.^[41] Filming in Manali continued till early April 2014, before shifting to Dharamshala.^[42] During filming one of the fight sequences in Dharamsala, Chopra suffered an eye injury, which the makeup team exaggerated for effect.^[43] The filming in Dharamshala continued till 19 April 2014.^[44] Cinematographer Keiko Nakahara used a hand-held camera during the shooting of the film.^[45] The film was shot in 57 days over the course of two years.^[17]

Soundtrack

Mary Kom (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Shashi-Shivamm
Released	13 August 2014
Recorded	2014
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	24:55
Language	Hindi
Label	Zee Music Limited
Producer	Viacom 18 Motion Pictures Sanjay Leela Bhansali

The soundtrack of the film consists of seven original songs composed by Shashi-Shivam (Pathak). They were written by Prashant Ingole, Sandeep Singh and Bijou Thaangjam (Manipuri Lyrics); Priyanka Chopra made her first appearance as a Hindi playback singer for a lullaby, "Chaoro". The song "Salaam India", composed by Shivam Pathak was chosen as the official song at the 2014 Asian Games, held in South Korea.^[46]

The Times of India noted that the soundtrack is both, "inspirational and soul-stirring", describing the opening track "Ziddi Dil" as a "clear winner that could lift anyone's spirits in a time of distress."^[47] Bollywood Hungama gave it a rating of 3.5 out of 5, and said that the composers did justice to the theme of the film.^[48] Writing for Rediff.com, Joginder Tuteja gave the soundtrack a rating of 3 out of 5, calling it "motivational", and that "Mary Kom's soundtrack may not be an instant chart-buster, but it holds its own."^[49] The Koimoi review stated that all the songs on the album are an "absolute delight to hear". They added that "The Mary Kom album is a good blend of romantic and inspirational numbers. The classic mix of excellent singers by composers Shashi Suman and Shivam has given the album some great numbers."^[50] The Financial Express wrote "the music of Mary Kom performs well [...], the music composers have done a fairly good job".^[51]

Track listing[52]
No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Ziddi Dil"	Prashant Ingole	Vishal Dadlani	4:46
2.	"Sukoon Mila"	Sandeep Singh	Arijit Singh	3:19
3.	"Adhure"	Prashant Ingole	Sunidhi Chauhan	3:49
4.	"Teri Baari"	Prashant Ingole	Mohit Chauhan	3:07
5.	"Saudebaazi"	Prashant Ingole	Arijit Singh	3:27
6.	"Salaam India"	Sandeep Singh	Vishal Dadlani, Salim Merchant	3:54
7.	"Chaoro (Lori)"	Sandeep Singh, Bijou Thaangjam	Priyanka Chopra	2:33

Marketing and release

CEO of Viacom 18 Motion Pictures Ajit Andhare, Bhansali, Chopra, and Kumar at the trailer launch of Mary Kom

The first poster for the film was revealed on 14 July 2014 by Chopra through her Twitter account.^[53][54] It portrayed a muscular Priyanka Chopra as Mary Kom in sports clothing, with her hair tied in a pony tail, punching a bag.^[55][56] It received positive feedback from film critics, industry professionals, and audiences alike.^[57][58] The Hindustan Times noted that "[w]ith well-built muscles and a completely toned body, Priyanka looks fierce in the poster where she is posing with a punch."^[59][60] The poster went viral on social media, with the hashtag "#MaryKomFirstLook" trending in India and worldwide. On 15 July, Chopra tweeted another poster for the film, which was also well-received and the final poster was released the same day.^[61][62][63] The first teaser was released on Chopra's birthday, 18 July, which showed the actor as Kom getting ready for her boxing match with the tagline "Most Champions Make Their Name. She Made History".^[64][65] The trailer release was highly anticipated, with media reporting that it would be unveiled on 24 July 2014.^[66] However, it was released the day before at an event on 23 July and had positive reception from media and critics.^[67][68][69] On 27 August 2014, a special screening was held for selected members of media, trade and critics, where 20 minutes of raw footage from the film was previewed, creating a positive buzz.^[70] As a part of promotional strategy, Bhansali Productions released a doll, which looked like Chopra as Mary Kom.^[71][72]

The film was originally scheduled for release on 2 October 2014 (on Gandhi Jayanti),^[73] however, it was announced that the film was postponed to an uncertain date to revamp the film to feature more events surrounding Kom's life. The media reported that the makers were working on two different versions, a longer version for the Indian market and another for the international market.^[74] After the uncertainty of a release date for a month, it was announced that the film would be finally released on 5 September (Teacher's Day) and clashing with Chopra's cousin Parineeti Chopra starrer Daawat-e-Ishq.^[75] Yash Raj Films requested Bhansali to shift the release date, which he refused due to previous release date changes of the film and start of promotional activities. Later, Yash Raj Films postponed Daawat-e-Ishq release date by two weeks.^[76]

Mary Kom had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 4 September 2014. It became the first Hindi film to be screened on the opening night of the film festival.^[77][78] It was initially released to 1500 screens worldwide.^[79] The film was released in overseas markets by Eros International as part of a four-film deal between Eros and Viacom 18 studios. The rights to television broadcasting belongs to Viacom18's flagship general entertainment channel Colors.^[80] The film was not released in Kom's home state of Manipur because of the ban on Bollywood films by the Imphal-based separatist militant group, Revolutionary Peoples Front (RPF) since 2000.^[81] In an interview with Press Trust of India, Kom expressed her sadness that people from her own state won't be able to see her biopic.^[81] However, unauthorized DVDs and VCDs flooded the state, with the DVD format being in great demand as the only option for native people to watch the film.^[82]

Made on a budget of ₹150 million (US$2.2 million) including, production, prints and advertising, Mary Kom earned ₹200 million (US$3.0 million), and before release recouped more than its cost from brand tie-ups.^[80] The film made profits of ₹50 million (US$740,000) before the release. Partnership was arranged in a way that the products from brands were either showcased in the film or the brands promoted the film in their advertising.^[83] The satellite rights of the film were sold for ₹140 million (US$2.1 million) and music rights for ₹30 million (US$450,000).^[84] The film was released in DVDs on 15 October 2014 across all regions in a one-disc pack in NTSC format.^[85] Distributed by Shemaroo Entertainment, it contained behind-the-scene footage and deleted scenes.^[86] The VCD and Blu-ray versions were released at the same time.^[87][88] The Mary Kom Blu-ray is the first Blu-ray title in India to feature a Dolby Atmos soundtrack.^[85]

Reception

Critical reception

Chopra received praise for her performance as Kom in the film

Chopra received critical acclaim for her performance as Kom.^[89][90] Subhash K. Jha awarded the film 5 stars out of 5 describing it as the film as "a motivational masterpiece" and said, "From first frame to last it grips your senses and irrigates the parched corridors of your heart like very few bio-pics in recent times. Debutant director Omang Kumar weaves seamlessly in and out of Ms Kom's remarkable life creating a work that is as dramatic as Mehboob's Mother India and as inspiring as Attenborough's Gandhi."^[91][92] Rediff.com rated the film 4.5 out of 5, noting it as a victory for its protagonist Chopra, scriptwriter Saiwyn Quadras, and director Omung Kumar and writing, "Mary's story is delivered with a sincerity that makes it irresistible."^[93] Sonia Chopra from Sify described the film as a "thrilling ringside view", saying that "Mary Kom is an important film that's hugely inspiring. But more importantly, it's also great fun to watch."^[94] The Times of India gave the film a rating of 4 stars out of 5 calling it as Bollywood's answer to Academy Award-winning film Million Dollar Baby (2004).^[95] Bollywood Hungama gave it 4 stars, stating "Omung Kumar certainly deserves an ovation for having shown the guts to make a biopic on Mary Kom, something which will surely go down in the history of exemplary biopics on Indian celluloid."^[96] Namrata Joshi from Outlook rated the film with 3 stars out of 4 and commented on the simple, unpretentious storyline that dramatized important events from the champion's life.^[97]

Bhawana Somaaya rated the film 4 stars out of 5, stating that film was not solely a medium for entertainment and that the main purpose of Mary Kom was to depict courage, stability, truth and innocence.^[98] The Economic Times gave a rating of 4 stars out of 5, noting that the film is well on its way to being one of the most praised sports-based films since Chak De India and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and wrote "This is one of those boxing movies which is much more than boxing. It takes you to a place which is beyond ruptured cheeks, cracked jaws, and fractured ribs of the protagonist."^[99] Yahoo! India rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and noted that it evoked many emotions, calling it a "must watch".^[100] Writing for Hindustan Times, Anupama Chopra rated the film 3 out of 5 noted it as a "worthy attempt" and said that the film had sincerity and was crafted with care.^[101] Mayank Shekhar also rated the film with 3 stars, stating that his biggest concern before getting into the film was that the film-makers (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) would excessively "Bollywood-ise" Kom's story. He commented that this fear was "thankfully" unfounded.^[102]

On the contrary, Business Standard criticized the film for not showing enough about boxing in general rather than Kom in particular. It stated that "while Mary Kom is entertaining, it should have aspired to be more."^[103] Rajeev Masand wrote that the film was "watchable, but never great like it should've been".^[104] Shubhra Gupta from The Indian Express gave a rating of two and half noting "Film gets bloated by extraneous songs" and criticized the product placements calling them a "distraction from the story."^[105] The India Today reviewer, Rohit Khilnani criticized Kumar's direction and wrote "The story is predictable from the word go and there are absolutely no surprise elements. A lot could have been done with such a strong protagonist but the director doesn't experiment."^[106] Sudhish Kamath from The Hindu criticized the film, saying the film should be only watched for Chopra, but that the script was generic and predictable, and the plot was actually manipulative.^[107]

Box office

The film collected ₹85 million (US$1.3 million) on its opening day.^[108][109] Following the positive word of mouth, Saturday collections showed a growth of 20% from Friday and went on to collect ₹90 million (US$1.3 million).^[109] The collection on Sunday showed an additional 20% growth from Saturday, collecting approximately ₹110 million (US$1.6 million).^[109] The film collected ₹275 million (US$4.1 million) net over its first weekend.^[110] For a film featuring a female protagonist, the film recorded the highest collections of all time.^[110] The film had a drop of 55% on its first Monday and went on to collect ₹36 million (US$530,000), making a four-day total of ₹305 million (US$4.5 million).^[111] The collections on Tuesday were of ₹33 million (US$490,000).^[112] It collected approximately ₹400 million (US$5.9 million) nett in its first week.^[113] The film collected ₹110 million (US$1.6 million) in its second week, crossing the ₹500 million (US$7.4 million) mark at the domestic box-office.^[114] The film's domestic nett collection was over ₹610 million (US$9.1 million).^[115] Mary Kom grossed ₹1.04 billion (US$15 million) at the box-office and was a commercial success.^[3]

Accolades

Mary Kom won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 62nd National Film Awards.^[116] At the 60th Filmfare Awards, the film was nominated for Best Film and Best Actress for Chopra.^[117] The film received eight nominations at the 21st Screen Awards, where it won Best Actress for Chopra.^{[118][119][120]} It received ten nominations at the Producers Guild Film Awards, including nominations for Best Film and Best Director and won five awards: Best Actress in a Leading Role for Chopra, Best Debut Director for Kumar, Dialogue of the Year and the President's Award for Best Film.^[121][122] Additionally, it was nominated for the Best Film and Best Actress at the 16th IIFA Awards, winning the Best Debut Director for Kumar.^[123][124]

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External links

• Mary Kom at Bollywood Hungama
• Mary Kom at the Internet Movie Database