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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

But the main reason why Mary Kom appeals is because it doesn’t just give you a ringside view of boxing; it leaves you rooting for our sportsmen who have put India on the world map.

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.

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.

“Mary Kom” is a motivational masterpiece. From first frame to last it grips your senses and irrigates the parched corridors of your heart like very few biopics in recent times. Kumar weaves seamlessly in and out of Mary’s remarkable life creating a work that is as dramatic as Mehboob Khan’s “Mother India” and as inspiring as Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi”.

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.

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.