Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is back on screen as ‘Mary Kom’, which finally make its way to the big screen after very long and exciting journey.
Mary Kom is directed by Omung Kumar, is a fiercely melodramatic representation of a life too large, multilayered and very complex, to be effective in 120 screen minutes. This is an impassioned biopic powered by an energetic actor Priyanka Chopra, who leaves nothing to chance or imagination.
Movies first half focused on Mary Kom’s rise to World Champion against all odds a stubborn father, gender bias and an overly villainous federation official it chugs along at such express pace that it's impossible to process the enormity of her achievements.
Second half destined to culminate in her bronze medal feat at the London Olympics 2012. But this would have to involve showing Mary Kom defeated in the semifinal, which is not exactly the grandstand finish envisioned by the producers.
So Kumar chooses to focus on her come back to win her 4th title in China-2008, after two years giving birth to twin sons. This is an opportunity lost, because the screenplay soon enters a conflict ridden comfort zone with predictable doses of cinematic liberty.
Although Priyanka Chopra internalizes the champion's restlessness to get back into the ring, her rise back to the top is superficial and encapsulated within the playback song ruggedness of a Manali boot camp.
While movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was a case of an overcooked narrative, Kumar's Mary Kom suffers from the opposite, an inconsistent narrative that seems too hurried to strike the right balance between her career and personal life and ends up biting off more than it can ruminate.
It could have done with 20 extra minutes of Mary Kom's resiliency, without liberally jumping time frames, to gives shape to her stunted journey. I with setting for an engaging documentary on the same or better still, footage of her fights and let the mental awareness of her struggles add to the gravity of the battle.