Mary Kom (2014) User Reviews

Mary Kom: With some flaws it's still great punch !!!

[brethart_the1 · 8/10 · 5 September 2014]

What's Good: Priyanka Chopra's career best performance. What's Bad: Dramatic climax.

Bollywood always follow a trend of success.Since past few years the most successful genre is Bio-pics like Chak De India, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and now Mary Kom.This year only countable good movies have entertained us and most of them are women-oriented like Queen, Mardaani, Mary Kom.It seems like these women-oriented flicks are coming out at right time, as i have witnessed during the screening after the last punch the ladies gave standing ovation to Mary Kom.Mary Kom is about how a poor girl from Manipur made her way to top against all odds.Her struggle, her passion, her madness, her love towards Boxing made her 5 times world champion.Mary Kom might not be the best movie as it contains many flaws but still it stands strong just because of Priyanka Chopra's superb performance.She has held entire movie on her shoulder, she has given more than 100% for this bio-pic.

Performances wise its only and only Priyanka Chopra. She is totally into the character and this is by far her career best performance.Supporting cast like Darshan Kumar, Sunil Thapa,etc are nice. Omang Kumar's direction is decent but it could have been better looking to the hold of the script. Music goes with the flow, cinematography is top-notch.

Overall its a feel pride movie. Can surely recommend one-time watch.

Worthy of a watch

[r96sk · 7/10 · 14 August 2020]

Good film about 'Mary Kom'.

It takes the usual liberties that biopics tend to do, but this film does it well as the story it produces is very interesting. It arguably should be around 20-30 minutes shorter, but I still found the pacing to be fine - the progression through her boxing career itself helps keep things rolling.

Priyanka Chopra does a grand job in the lead role, while Sunil Thapa supports astutely as Singh. Darshan Kumar is also solid as Onler. The acting in general is satisfactory. The music suits proceedings, also.

You don't need to be a sports fan to enjoy this. Worthy of a watch.

A decent biopic though too melodramatic at times

[silvan-desouza · 6/10 · 7 September 2014]

It's very difficult for a new director to make a biopic, also on a piping hot sportsperson. Omung Kumar known for his ads and his TV show Aur Ek Minute and some other stuff makes his directorial debut. The film shows the rise of Mary Kom, which though fictitious is well handled in most parts, however at times its too melodramatic and filmy too Omung Kumar also doesn't know how to justaxpose advertisements in the film and we have in your face publicity of ads. However the film does manage to evoke emotions and make you feel for Mary Kom

Direction is decent Music is good, the songs have the right emotions

Priyanka Chopra after BARFI is back in element, the actress was wasted in nothingness in films like Zanjeer and Krissh 3 though she did a great job in GUNDAY but in this film she gets to show her talent fully and she is amazing.Darshan Kumar is good in his role Sunil Thapa as the coach is too good rest are all good

Mary Kom: An Inspiring story with a Sincere Effort

[shiraj-dakshy · 7/10 · 6 September 2014]

Many times when you watch a movie especially a biopic which has an inspiring story you may overlook the flaws and technicalities, such was my experience with "Mary Kom".

Debutant Director Omung Kumar brings life the story of Boxing Champion "Mary Kom". The story & screenplay of Saiwyn Qadras charts the journey of a daughter of a simple farmer Mangte Chungneijang from Manipur to becoming the 5 times World Champion MC Mary Kom or Magnificent Mary as she is called.

Saiwyn's screenplay is shaky in the beginning but concludes on a high note. The first half looks more like a collage of incidents in Mary Kom's life put on celluloid with no cohesiveness in the narration and everything is shown in a hurry which does not have any emotional connect, but in the second half the movie takes a 360 degree turn in the narration and shows us Mary Kom's comeback after becoming a mother. The second half the narration shows a lot of depth and emotions which are depicted well concluding the movie to a high octane dramatic end. Though a lot of people will find the climax a bit dramatic but the bottom-line is at the end it strikes the right cord and you come out being proud of Mary Kom and her achievements. The other flaw in the script is that it does not delve deep in the other character's storyline.

The dialogues by Ramendra Vashishtha and Karan Singh Rathore is good but quite inconsistent in the getting the language and the dialect right. Though the dialogues has a few Manipuri words being used but sometimes the dialect and language of the principal cast look a bit out of place especially Mary Kom's character.

Omung Kumar's direction is sincere and honest and it comes through in the narration especially in the second half. The one flaw in Omung's direction is his hurried narration; he should have paid more heed to the characterization of other principal characters other than Mary Kom's. Though being Omung's first film as a director and choosing a biopic as a subject really needs a lot of conviction, and he shows the spark as a director.

Performance wise it is definitely Priyanka Chopra all the way. She is sincere in her portrayal as a boxer Mary Kom, her whole transformation from a glam doll to a boxer physically right from the body language to the way she talks is to be seen to believe. Frankly I had my reservations about Priyanka portraying the role but she has really surprised me with her portrayal. Another stand out performance is of Darshan Kumaar who plays Onler Kom, Mary's husband the real pillar of strength in the boxer's life. Darshan 's underplaying the portrayal gives the needed depth required, an actor to watch out for. Sunil Thapa as Mary's coach does a good job.

I have to mention the makeup artist Subhash Shinde who really did a marvelous job of Priyanka's transformation to Mary Kom, minute details like skin pigmentation etc has been taken care of. The production design by Omung's wife Vanita Omung Kumar is realistic and convincing. Stunts by Parvez Shaikh and boxing choreography by Robert Miller bring the required authenticity and thrills in the boxing sequences.

Although it is not a "Million Dollar Baby", but it is definitely an applauding attempt which is worth a watch.....

A biopic on Indian women boxing champion - Must watch for all sports enthusiast

[BallerinaWick · 5 September 2014]

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'

Simply a good film.....

[SumanShakya · 7/10 · 15 October 2014]

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

good film

[ghazwan124 · 10/10 · 2 October 2014]

This week's release, Omung Kumar's MARY KOM is one such film which is a biopic on one of India's most illustrious sports personalities, Mary Kom, who, despite all her hardships, put our country on the international map with her achievements. The film goes on to show the real life story of this sports star, which not many are aware of. The film serves as an eye opener not just on the fact that India can produce international 'gold medal winning' boxers, but also that Manipur is very much a part of India!

Omung does a great job of building up the climax with heart wrenching scenes where Mary chooses to box over spending a blissful life with her family. Post her opting to box, Mary accidentally lands up at the boxing training academy of her coach Narjit Singh (Sunil Thapa), who, after seeing her persistence, teaches her that 'the world maybe round for everyone, but her world should be the shape of the boxing ring, a Square'! Mary's talent for the sport combined with her coach's training form a deadly unbeatable lethal combo who go on to win international competitions galore.AL_janaby

A One-Time-Watch.!

[shail_thegreat · 6/10 · 5 September 2014]

"MARY KOM" is a biographical movie on Mary Kom,four times World champion Boxer. The movie depicts the hardship that a Manipur girl had to go through with, to achieve her dreams.

Priyanka did a marvelous role, justifying her character in every scene. Though she lacked a bit to motivate the viewers as was expected from the promos, her sincerity to the role was attracting. Other characters like her husband and father were at par. The person playing the Coach's role was a disappointment.

Until the interval, the movie moves in a very fast pace displaying various incidents of Mary's life which leaded to her becoming a World Boxing Champion. In the next-half, the movie emphasizes on her family struggle and the comeback to boxing.

There were some unnecessary scenes used, to advertise various products from TATA salt to IODEX balm. Its distracting and unappreciated in serious movies.

Some critical scenes were too filmy. Climax were predict-able, and the little Bollywood drama won't go unnoticed.

Background music and songs will keep viewers interested. National Anthem added in the end of movie was too much.

Conclusion: Family movie. Watchable once. Kudos to all sports-women.

Magnificent Mary...

[AnotherMovieFreak · 8/10 · 5 September 2014]

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....

Feel Good Film with Some Energetic Factor

[yashmishra91 · 7/10 · 5 September 2014]

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.

Does not do justice

[bewareofvikas · 4/10 · 5 September 2014]

This movie is a huge disappointment. Billed up to be one of the most heart wrenching tales of winning against all odds, the result was a very highly dramatized offering. A good parameter to judge biopics is how much the viewer feels inspired after watching it and this film fails miserably on that account. Right from the start, the supposed hardships of Mary Kom do not ring true at all, thereby making it extremely hard to root for the protagonist.Though in the second half, this is somewhat salvaged by portraying the problems of a mother of two making a comeback to the coaching arena. Add to that the dramatization of many elements, making the whole movie feel very unnatural. The boxing scenes themselves are very bland and we rarely feel the tension that usually accompanies matches in good sport-movies.

Expectedly, Priyanka Chopra carries the movie and gives a good sincere performance. If only the role had been a bit more of substance, she could have taken it to greater heights. All the supporting characters, particularly the husband, though relatively unknown play their parts well.

First time director Omung Kumar should have worked a lot in making a tighter script. The dialogues are also very uninspiring. The effort of making a biopic on a woman sports person is appreciable but the result is not.

P.S: The product placements of various brands in the movie is really annoying.

an inspiring movie

[jeringeorgepj · 9/10 · 22 September 2014]

This week's release, Omung Kumar's MARY KOM is one such film which is a biopic on one of India's most illustrious sports personalities, Mary Kom, who, despite all her hardships, put our country on the international map with her achievements. The film goes on to show the real life story of this sports star, which not many are aware of. The film serves as an eye opener not just on the fact that India can produce international 'gold medal winning' boxers, but also that Manipur is very much a part of India!

Omung does a great job of building up the climax with heart wrenching scenes where Mary chooses to box over spending a blissful life with her family. Post her opting to box, Mary accidentally lands up at the boxing training academy of her coach Narjit Singh (Sunil Thapa), who, after seeing her persistence, teaches her that 'the world maybe round for everyone, but her world should be the shape of the boxing ring, a Square'! Mary's talent for the sport combined with her coach's training form a deadly unbeatable lethal combo who go on to win international competitions galore.

Good acting, Great Biopic and Amazing story.

[yuvrajjuneja-59021 · 7/10 · 11 May 2021]

I think this film is One of the best Film ever of Priyanka Chopra ma'am.

This film can keeps everyone edge on their seat.

Priyanka Chopra's Performance is Great in this film.

The Songs are also good. My favourite is (Adhure) Sunged by: Sunidhi Chauhan.

A bad treatment to an amazing real life story.

[phoenix-rohan · 4/10 · 5 September 2014]

I will be honest with my review. I entered the hall with a lot of expectations already knowing the fact that the real life Mary Kom has had gone through a lot of struggle to become the champ, the first time, and once again after her marriage. But this movie does not justify her struggle one bit.

I was never able to connect to the life of the protagonist and a lot of things didn't make any sense. For example, the first condition Priyanka Chopra keeps before marriage was that she wouldn't leave boxing. But she ties her boxing gloves to the back of her marriage car so they're trashed by the road. Was it a 'Goodbye Boxing' move? Further, I see only the husband doing everything after the marriage... a fact hard to digest for a considerably backward North-East region. Sometimes I felt the director should've kept the movie's name "Onler Kom" because he was the real hero for the most part. But no, the ever caring husband who's killing himself to keep any bothering stuff away from Mary decides to reveal about the 'hole in the heart' situation of their kid on the final day of the World Championship. And if someone doesn't know, this heart problem is kept under observation for a long time and immediate surgery is never recommended.

The action was rubbish, as was the storyline, as was the soundtrack, and as was everything in the movie except the actors who've done a decent job. I feel betrayed, and heavily disappointed. If the director was able to display even half the real story of Mary Kom, a winner from not just a backward area, but a place where people reside in fear from both - the terrorists as well as the Indian army, I would've loved the movie. I've wasted my time and money on the movie.

Decent biographical movie missing some intensity where it needed most !

[SatiagoManez · 7/10 · 7 September 2014]

Mary Kom - The efforts and dedication that Priyanka Chopra. The performance of the cast, Camera work and editing are the major efforts that can be appreciated in the movie.

Every advantage of having a movie that deals with sports, nation and patriotism applies for this movie too. You can except a handsome number of emotional moments in the movie, esp with the training scenes.

There is a lot of places where the are commercial products(Iodex, Tata salt etc..) being advertised in the movie. In few places they are very evident!

But where it misses a pinch of salt is when Mary Kom decides to leave her carrier which was her lifetime dream, goes for a marriage and When she decides to enter back into boxing leaving the twin infants -- there is no real depth in scenes justifying these decisions. In fact her husband who is very instrumental and encouraging her to get back into boxing, why would such a person let her know about the operation of one her babies when she was about to take her World Championship finals!

It's yet a other Bollywood movie that you can enjoy watching, But not a great biopic that you can expect !

Mary Kom pays tribute to real-life hero but disappoints as a film

[ketgup83 · 6/10 · 6 September 2014]

Biopics are gaining popularity in Indian Cinema as it is representing true incidents of a person portrayed on the silver screen. Mary Kom does pay respect to the great sports person but disappoints as a movie.

Mary Kom tells the real life story of a five-time world champion who is the only Indian to qualify for 2012 Summer Olympics games.

Omung Kumar choose the right subject for his directorial debut but messes the film with loose screenplay and lousy direction. The movie begins with curfew scenes and coming-of-age drama which was forceful and had no right intention in place. Even the fight scenes were tacky. However, the second half picks up and drama sets rolling in with story begin to show light into the life of Mary Kom. If you would have read the autobiography of Mary Kom, the legendary boxer struggled to reach to the top but nothing much was shown in the film. Art direction is fine. Cinematography is outstanding. Dialogues are punching. Songs are disappointing. Priyanka Chopra gets into the character of Mary Kom. The supremely talented actress delivers a solid performance. She is mind blowing with her punches and fiery dialogues. Darshan Kumaar will surprise you in the supporting role.

Overall , Mary Kom pays tribute to real-life hero but disappoints as a film. Decent 2.75/5

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Strong Sport Movie

[aheaven2005 · 8/10 · 13 February 2022]

A very solid sports movie around that excels in telling a true story and making it very interesting. We can feel what Mary Kom felt in different moments of her life. The music is also really entertaining and adds to the pace of a movie. This really gave me a desire to watch more Bollywood movies.

Simple but good movie

[dineshprakash · 6/10 · 5 September 2014]

Director Mr. Omung Kumar work is good. I personally like the films where a person challenges the boundaries. So I remain little liberal about such type of movies. Story by Saiwyn Qadras,is linear. Director tried to make it interesting using flashback and he succeeded a bit in it. Dialogues by Ramendra Vashishth and Karan singh Rathore, are very good. Few dialogue i.e Hamara Pet To Khushi Se Bhar Gaya Hai and many more are beautiful. Screenplay by Saiwyn Qadras is OK. There would be many places where emotional quotients could have been on high note but screenplay missed the opportunity. The equation between Coach and Mary Kom could have been lot of such moments but they left it very under toned. When Mary Kom shaved her head that was also a good point but they ended the scene abruptly without answering the resolution of passport issue. I was unable to find the emotions behind her this serious step. At the time of wedding why they shown the gloves being pulled by wedding car!!? She respect her boxing gloves more than life then why did she do it? Supporting actors, characters are not well defined so it does not support the scene well. Interval point is flat. Climax gives typical filmy feel while it is a biopic. Why did her husband inform her about the illness of child when he was aware that it could emotionally make her weak, if it had to be shown for curiosity sake then some other way could have been thought. They could have easily touched the Manipur issue in touching way but they made it vey subtle. Priyanka Chopda is fantastic. She enhanced every light moment to memorable by her performance. Sunil Thapa as coach is good. Darshan Kumar as Onler Kom (her husband) and the actor who played her father role are fine. Shakti Sinha as Sharma ji ( Boxing federation chief) is very good. Music by Shashi Shivam, is good.

Great female biopic

[parameswaranrajendran · 9/10 · 21 February 2018]

Watching this film at 2AM and ended up still energetic and awake at 4AM. The duration of the film is 2hr 1minute. Not a single is boring. Trust me, this is a biopic of an Indian female boxer. The director fully utilize the actor in Priyanka Chopra. PC gaves her career best performance till date. This movie has a heart pounding climax. The film is an astonishing spectacular.

Priyanka Chopra's courageous knock-'em-dead performance shines, despite weak script

[sshogben · 7/10 · 10 September 2014]

I cannot praise highly enough, the power and execution of Priyanka Chopra's performance in this movie.

As the title character, Ms Chopra swept me away with the sheer passion, dedication, and grit she brought to this portrayal: a real woman boxer who won five world championships and returned after retirement birthing twins to claim a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Priyanka makes you forget she's an actress – in "Mary Kom" you will believe she IS the athlete.

Taking on this challenging role was courageous, in a male-hero dominated industry where, even today, it's the men who are expected to 'carry' all big commercial cinema. Where even the top heroines – naturally including Priyanka Chopra herself, who co-stars in many of the biggest of the biggies, such as both the hugely successful "Krrish" and "Don" franchises – rarely get opportunity to do much more than 'look pretty and dance a bit'. This is, happily, evolving somewhat with the relative commercial success of heroine-centric films such as Kangana Ranaut's "Queen" (2014), Vidya Balan's "Kahaani" (2012), Priyanka's own "Fashion" (2008), and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's "Provoked" (2007). Yet it is a sad fact that, even today, the much vaunted '200 Crores Club' and even the '100 Crores Club' blockbusters are male star vehicles, every last one.

Against this industry backdrop, I salute Priyanka Chopra even more for not just taking on, but so boldly succeeding with, such an inherently 'unglamourous' role.

All credit to Ms Chopra aside, however ... the "Mary Kom" movie as a whole is frustrating.

It's as though, having committed themselves to making a movie about the real-life boxer Mary Kom, the filmmakers then found themselves not having a clue what to say about the woman.

The coach in the film (Sunil Thapa, who manages a solid performance despite the poor writing) repeatedly tells his boxer and the audience to "Focus! Focus! Focus!" Yet "focus" is exactly what this script (story & screenplay credited to Saiwyn Qadras) completely fails to do. The lackluster music (Shashi Suman) and uncertain direction (débutant director Omung Kumar) do not help.

There were so many potential story lines here which could have been developed into a uniting theme: the physical isolation and political unrest unsettling Mary's home state, Manipur; a young woman's struggle against family and community expectations to walk a non-traditional path; any woman's challenge to balance career and family; just to name a few. And, in fact, several of these themes are suggested ... only to be inexplicably dropped or left hanging. Forget the triumph of last year's groundbreaking ad brilliantly executed biopic "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", which transcended the personal story of its athlete to present a broader message of societal healing in the aftermath of communal tragedy. "Mary Kom" not only fails to convey any broader meaning, this movie fails to ever settle on any one particular thing to be learned from this one woman's life. Here, what happens just, well, happens. Limply. The filmmakers' lack of direction and focus make everything that happens in this woman's life seem just too ... well, easy. There is no sustained conflict, no driving or sustained challenge for the character to overcome. The would-be climax of the film comes across as cheap melodrama which left the audience emotionally unengaged. The film's end (at an odd place, well before what I would have considered the natural highlight of the woman's career) came through 'flat' and unsatisfying.

Weirdly, I came out of the "Mary Kom" movie less inspired by Mary Kom's life ... than by "A"-list actress Priyanka Chopra's real-life courage and hard work in enacting this role.

Seven stars, STRICTLY on the basis of Priyanka Chopra's powerful knock-'em-dead performance.

Disappointment !!!

[sbaidya-942-874872 · 5/10 · 6 September 2014]

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 !!!

Engrossing and Entertaining

[s-shroff08 · 9/10 · 13 September 2014]

Excellent movie that brings to life "Mary Kom".. her formative years, her rise despite setbacks and adversities.

The story is narrated in a very crisp manner that keeps one interested all through. The movie starts from the streets of Manipur where a little girl discovers her passion for boxing and takes us through her life; through the different adversities and successes.

This is not a typical Bollywood masala movie and potentially not for all. This is a serious effort and for those who like to watch stories based on real life. It is in the same league as "Black".

Acting overall is excellent, Priyanka has done justice to the character. Other characters that have been portrayed well are the loving husband, the coach and Mary's dad.

Its not bad at all but a big OPPORTUNITY lost........

[anupapu8 · 7/10 · 5 September 2014]

MARY KOM - After last Year's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag a new standard is set for all future biopic movies in Bollywood......Honestly Mary Kom is nowhere close to it........ I will start with the biggest problem ,, that's direction.....Omung Kumar is here with his debut movie ,, and you can see inexperience in his direction too easily......I don't know why but he has just made a passable movie....Without any depth in it....Without creating much emotions for Mary Kom.....We never get to know what Mary Kom thinks inside him ,, not a single scene shows what he does alone.....What she does when she feel sad....She was never shown a lonely person in the movie.....Each and every time someone is with her for her help ,, and it feels like the hurdles comes in between her way ,, she passes them too easily....Its a lot Bollywoodish movie not shown as a biopic...... Then there are other problems too ,, the thing which disappoints me most is not so good choreography of boxing scenes.....They are so flat ,, the action director has done a bad job.....In past some Bollywood movies like APNE have shown better boxing matches....Then again there are very few boxing matches are there.....There is a time when Mary Kom won the State Championship and after that his four tournaments have been skipped by the writer by showing just the name of the tournament and Mary Kom holding medals.....I think the writer is underpaid by the producer....I wanted more boxing matches..... Then the length of the movie ,, its not too long ,, rather its too short ,, just 2hr and 4 minutes ,, which is too short then what was the length of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ,, because the movie doesn't show anything in detailed manner ,, and number of boxing matches are not up to the satisfactory level..... There are unwanted songs too ,, although our hero and heroin where not dancing on them but they are unwanted.. And the most irritating thing ,, is product placement (Iodex , Motherdairy , Suger free and many more) in a movie made on the life of Indian Honour Mary Kom .. But this negative points doesn't made this a bad film ,, it just stop it from being a great film..... Priyanka Chopda have given everything of her in this movie,,she is such a great actress and wasted so badly in Gunday , Zanzeer and Krish 3 ,,,, this movie had the potential to test her acting talents ,, and she succeeded in it.....Although she is nowhere close to the looks of Mary Kom(and the irony is that every other lady in the movie including the lady who acted as the mother of Mary Kom looks very close to Real Life Mary Kom ) .. but i think its not looks that is important but the passion which she showed..... Dharshan kumar as his husband and Thapa as his coach are good...... Cinematography is brilliant and the movie shows the beauty of North East India.... Among all the songs only Ziddi hei and Salaam India should have been in the movie.... There are also some political aspects shown in the movie like the sports management doest look after the needs of boxers as compared to what other countries does , plus the fact that how Indian parents doesn't allow girls to select sports as their carrier.....But such facts are not hard hitting ,, they are show in a very smooth and non effective manner just like the struggle of Mary Kom...... Its an opportunity lost.... Definitely its a movie to watch as it tells the story of Mary Kom ,, but it has nothing much for which you should spent your money in theater....But if you still wants to watch it in big screen then be prepare to stand on the respect of national anthem which will come at the and of the movie.....6.7/10By ANuP APu KuMaR......

forehead punching

[anubhavparsh · 3/10 · 18 September 2014]

In the beginning of the film , a disclaimer claiming no animals were hurt during the making of this film is displayed. A 'no Priyanka Chopra was hurt ' also seemed apt after two hours of watching boxers carefully avoiding punching her face, so she could go shoot expensive music videos with international artists afterwards. In a role tailor made for someone else, PC essays the role of an ironic boxer who doesn't know how to throw a punch and gets pregnant at inconvenient moments . Right after she tells her husband she's pregnant(using prega news..This movie is a goldmine for pregnancy related product placement), he exclaims 'goal! This is the best goal I've ever scored' . yes. . that happens . Anyway, this metaphor is to remind us that he is in fact a footballer for a local club , lest we forget during all the Priyanka Chopra happening on screen . He is played by slightly north eastern looking guy who's not actually north eastern. He too plays an ironic footballer who doesn't know how to kick a ball .. Set in a mythical version of Manipur where people speak exclusively in perfect Hindi and not Manipuri and important characters look like Bollywood actors . The only north easterners you'll see are the sidekicks of important characters or the sidekicks of sidekicks or people sitting in buses. Of course there are profound lines like "thanks for applying 'iodex' on my cramp, i don't know how i lived without it all my life "and " i've decided i'm going to use 'sugar free'in my tea from now onwards " so that people know what to buy after the movie . In the second half, after another boring interchangeable fight sequence, a commentator announces this has been the most interesting fight he's seen in his 30 year career . The only emotion this evokes is pity for possibly a very boring career. There's also a recurring character , Sasha. Icy, cold and calculative and other synonyms describing coldness (yes, she's Russian..duh) , she's a bitch basically. Described as a fearsome boxer she almost exclusively punches PC on her forehead. This film might be credited for introducing the never before seen 'forehead punch' into shitty boxing movie terminology. Notable is stern but heart of gold coach played by a bald guy who can be inserted in any boxing movie ever made and not seem out of place . p.s- if you're planning to nap, don't do it towards the end as the national anthem makes an appearance leading to the sudden realisation that we're Indian

Drama dilutes the "Punch"

[sagarshares7854 · 6/10 · 12 September 2014]

First & foremost,PC deserves special mention.Not only for her acting,but also,for taking up a totally de-glam role.Very few actresses("heroines") would dare to attempt such a role,especially when they are at the peak of their career.PC is today an international star & still,her commitment to the role is exemplary.Inspite of her image,she gets a lot of things right.Credit goes to the production team as well.All in all,PC adds immense weight to the movie.

The movie starts with Mary Kom being led to a hospital,in a riot torn Manipur.Her husband accompanies her,and she is in excruciating pain.A few edits,& the viewer comes to know how Mary Kom found her boxing gloves.She lives in a very typical Indian,'small place' family,where the only goal of a woman's life is to get married.Mary stands out among the crowd.She is aggressive,refuses to be bullied & literally fights for herself & her friends.Mary's relationship with her father goes through a rough patch,as she is adamant on boxing.The part about her 'face wounds' again,helps to draw attention to how women are thought about,in a small place.Certainly,its a Sexist society! All through Mary's trials & tribulations,her character & iron will shine through.She is fierce,respectful & ziddi.The song 'Ziddi Dil' is one of the high points of the movie.

However,the movie starts to dip when unnecessary romantic songs creep in.The whole mood is diluted.Characters other than Mary,are not well defined(except Sharmaji) And since they carry decent screen space,one gets the sense that the director is focusing on only one character & not the ensemble.This movie could have been way better,had we seen things from Mary's point of view,ALONE.And then,the climax is totally melodramatic & again dilutes inspiration to 'emotion'.The ending too,seems abrupt,to say the least.You get a sense that things weren't well thought out.Bollywood needs to throw dramebaazi into the trash & break out of this mould.The audience doesn't demand drama...its the producers who demand it,thinking that it will help them garner better revenues.

Its great to see Bollywood moving towards woman centric movies.A lot of roles are being created for Women,& we have actors(Kangna,Vidya,PC) who can do justice to them.But it shouldn't be forced.i.e.,not for the sake of it alone.PC deserved a much better execution here...the story is OK.But could it have been handled better? YESSS.The director seems to have more than he could chew,on his plate.Too many characters...poor handling/execution.

Watch it if you are a PC fan...or a PC critic! Her effort needs to be lauded.

P.S.: The movie fails to convey Mary Kom's hardships,by overplaying the drama quotient.

Going with a generous 6/10.