5 reasons why Mary Kom will disappoint

Mary Kom, a movie hyped to the skies fails to live up to its massive expectations with Priyanka Chopra emerging as the only silver lining in this otherwise average fare. We track down five reasons which takes the bite away from Mary Kom. 1. Excessive melodramatisation of Mary's life to consistently show how she fights all odds to emerge winner. In the bargain, the movie puts more stress on Mary, the person rather than Mary the boxer. Mary Kom herself wanted this biopic to make women boxing more popular in India. Unfortunately, nothing in the movie will help inspire others to choose this sport. Mary Kom, the movie is more about the sportsperson rather than the sport itself. 2. A movie based on a female boxer has to unfailingly show the actor packing in many terrific punches. Unfortunately, Priyanka Chopra's boxing skills look lackluster and fail to pack a punch unlike the real Mary Kom. Mary is known for her lightning speed that knocks the air out of her opponents. Sadly, Priyanka is neither fast nor agile. Making matters worse are the badly choreographed and edited boxing sequences that once again puts spotlight more on Priyanka's facial expression rather than her boxing skills and hand and leg movements. Unwanted focus on audiences, commentators and other background characters makes for a jarring visual. 3. Absence of rigorous training and diet routine of Mary Kom. The movie fails to clearly show the transformation of a gawky teenager into a boxing champion. One expected to see shots of Priyanka being trained vigorously ala Will Smith's son in The Karate Kid. Sadly, it's missing. The only time one catches a slight glimpse of the grimacing Priyanka is when a few carefully choreographed exercise routines are thrown in with a song. 4. Overt usage and promotion of commercial brands like Iodex, Sugarfree capsules and Usha fans. All sponsors who pumped in cash got their money's worth when Sanjay Leela Bhansali &Co decided to give them adequate mileage. So one will see Mary Kom using Iodex, Sugarfree capsules and Usha sponsored boxing helmets. Overt mention of these products by the protagonist makes it sound more like an advertising pitch. 5. Excessive creative liberties used. For a biopic, the director surprisingly indulges in what can be aptly titled as generous creative liberties. So while Mary is battling her opponent in her final bout, shots of her son battling for his life in a hospital are interspersed with the main boxing sequence making it look more like the run of the mill cliched Bollywood melodrama rather than an inspiring life story of India's best known female boxer. What did you think of the movie? Share in the comment section below!!!