Imagine rising from poverty to win an Olympic medal and becoming the toast of your nation as well as your local community. That would be an incredible journey, and one that would make a great movie.
That is exactly what happened to Indian female boxer Mary Kom. Following her success at the London Olympics where she was the only female Indian boxer to qualify, she won a bronze medal. Prior to that she is the only female boxer to have won a medal at all six world championships, she is also a five time World amateur Champion.
Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra’s has made a movie called Mary Kom, which was released in over 1800 theatres across India on Friday, Sept 5. The Hindi film documents boxer Mary Kom’s journey from a small north-eastern state to winning an Olympic medal despite all odds. However while the film has been getting rave reviews, the boxer’s relatives, friends, students, followers in Manipur are unable to watch the film. The movie is banned in the north-eastern state.
The reason is in Manipur Bollywood movies are not allowed to be released in the state. Ever since Sept 2000, Hindi films are banned in Manipur by separatist militant group Revolutionary Peoples Front. The militant group believes that Bollywood films go against Manipuri values. There are believed to be six theatres in Imphal which screen only locally made Manipuri films.
Kom was philosophical about the fact that her family and local community cannot see the film when she was quoted as saying “I feel very sad that people everywhere are seeing the film made on my life but not the people in Manipur.” “It is risky to release it here so I think it is better not to do it.”
It seems a great shame that this woman who has become the pride of her community cannot screen a film that is bound to add to that pride.
