Mary Kom

...is made for whistles and some quick money...Everything said and done, it's good to see a mainstream Hindi film with a protagonist from the North-East, that too a woman, a champion though.

Mary Kom's story is a great one and we all know that. The film falls short in doing justice to Magnificent Mary. Mary Kom is strictly average

The cinema child inside me was bruised that I could not bring myself to like Mary Kom. As a woman, I deeply respect her and draw inspiration from her. But the film that was aspiring to reach her story to millions falls prey to mawkish ways that tells a half baked, semi-impactful, immature story that doesn't allow you to empathize,feel for or connect with the subject they are paying tribute to. The film was a business vehicle that was made to draw money than to create good cinema for posterity sake.

...this film still moves and inspires you enough. You would still root for Mary Kom as she enters the ring. But that's primarily because Priyanka Chopra brings that aggression into the character. No this is not quite the biopic that Mary Kom deserves. Yet, I would urge you to watch it. For the ones who seek to understand the champion pugilist better, just read her book!

So, would I take my kids to the theater to watch this one? Unlikely, will certainly not make extra effort. But would want them to watch it when it's on TV, just to see the power of strong will. Fortunately or unfortunately, it's not for the cinema, it's for the real-life person who deserved a film about her life.

For a sports biopic running at what seems a reasonable length of 2 hours 3 mins, there're innumerable moments of restlessness in the film. Mary Kom doesn't have enough to pack a punch.

While Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was a case of an overcooked narrative, Kumar's Mary Kom suffers from the contrary: an inconsistent narrative that seems too hurried to strike the right balance between her personal life and career, and ends up biting off more than it can chew. It could have done with 20 extra minutes of Kom's resilience, without liberally jumping time frames, to give shape to her stunted journey. I'd settle for an engaging documentary on the same, or better still, footage of her fights-and let the mere mental awareness of her struggles add to the gravity of battle.

I would have liked if the film didn't so shamelessly exploit my patriotic sentiments to afford it respect in its final scene. I would have liked something much more than this mediocre account of a magnificent reality.

Remember how Shah Rukh Khan and his girls evoked a strong sense of patriotism with 'Chak De India', well, that's unfortunately absent in this sporting movie. For a five-time world boxing champion, Mary Kom surely deserved a far more imposing Bollywood tribute.

For the average multiplex viewer Mary Kom could be a wry affair. No songs, no action, sparse boxing scenes... but there is the occasional punchy dialogue and PC's heroics. Might not be the bout everyone's looking for. But hats off to MC Mary Kom. If anyone deserved a special place in celluloid it's this awesome champion.

Omung Kumar's Mary Kom is a bland film that quickly becomes boring because there's no tension in the story. But it has Priyanka Chopra. That was enough for those who financed the film because they believe that's all you, the audience, want. Perhaps it will be enough for you too, but if you're interested in Kom's real story, read Unbreakable.

Watch Mary Kom if you are a Priyanka Chopra fan but if you are looking for some bloody boxing action, then you may be disappointed.

Mary Kom is just the kind of tribute fans would have wished to give to the Olympic medalist. It's a sure shot winner.

Mary Kom is a box-office champion. It may have started slow but fantastic word of mouth will see collections soaring and the film proving to be a hit at the box-office. Tax-exemption in Maharashtra and Rajasthan will help its business in these states. Other state governments should follow suit and grant tax-exemption to the deserving film.

All I cared about till the end was how the woman was ducking, weaving, bouncing and punching, without knowing much about the sport's nuances. So despite all the Northeast claptrap and the thoughtless film-making, Priyanka Chopra makes Mary Kom worth watching.

Just like "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", "Mary Kom" neglects the sport at the centre of the story and resorts to cheap tricks. Mary Kom is a travesty of a movie because it misses an opportunity to tell a great story, and dumbs it down to such an extent that every nuance, every bit of context and every bit of truth is obliterated.

If the ring side view is all you want, there is enough to keep you engaged. The moments between Mary and her father and the unsaid chemistry between Onler and Mary are moving largely due to Priyanka, who is the tour de force of this loosely assembled vehicle.

Priyanka Chopra rises above a generic script, predictable treatment and an extremely manipulative narrative.

This is clearly a eulogy to one of India's greatest sporting heroes and even though the biopic only swims on the surface, mainstream Indian cinema has put the spotlight on a person from the so-called wrong gender, hailing from the so-called wrong region, playing the so-called wrong sport. And that's reason enough to award the gold to Mary Kom.