Film Summary & review of Mary Kom by Saanvi Kunisetty

 Film Summary of Mary Kom 

Saanvi Kunisetty

I recently watched a Hindi film that was released a while back called Mary Kom, directed by Omung Kumar, starring Priyanka Chopra as the female lead. It narrates the story of a true Indian female boxer who rises against all odds to represent her country in the boxing World Championships.

Born in Manipur, Kom was originally named "Chungnizang" by her parents. As a young kid, she found a boxing glove stranded on the street, and picked it up out of curiosity. Since then, she had an unquenchable thirst to become a boxer. She frequently got into fights with boys, and regardless of her injuries, she never let go of her desire. 

One day, a fight led her into a small building (more like a room) which she had never seen before. Men and women alike were practicing boxing routines, when a seemingly old yet agile man approached her to ask what she was doing here. He was none other than the renowned boxing coach Mr. Singh. Chungnizang explains her love for boxing to the coach, and after a long wait, the coach identifies Chungnizang's stubbornness, and begins to coach her. Given Chungnizang's long and hard-to-spell name, he changes her name to Mary Kom. Her father approved of none of this, and stopped speaking to her at all.

So, Kom goes on to win many state and district tournaments, along with three world championships. These victories led her father to understand her drive, and support her for the rest of her life. Her career is then hindered by her marriage to Onler, and Mr. Singh discontinues coaching her. Later, Kom gives birth to twins under the names Khupneivar (Nai Nai) and Rechungvar (Rengpa). 

Though her marriage and birth of children are joyous occasions in her life, Mary is not content. She spends much time mourning the end of her boxing career, and her inability to continue. Onler finally convinces her to go back to the ring. So, Mary's training to get in shape begins. She attempts to do so without a coach, as Mr. Singh was no longer coaching her. Feeling confident, she went to a tournament in Manipur, and ended up losing against another local boxer. Angered yet saddened, she approached Mr. Singh and the federation to give her another chance, and Mr. Singh accepted her. After countless times of begging with the federation, she was allowed onto the team.

Making her way to the World Championships once again, Kom is back to good shape. Then, on the day of the final competition against the violent Sasha from Germany, she receives devastating news from Onler - Nai Nai has a hole in his heart, and is currently getting surgery. Due to this, her focus is lost during the finals, and in the first half of the competition, she is literally pummelled by Sasha. But, halfway through, she starts to realize the influence she may have on her kids' lives if she shows them the possibilities that you can achieve, even after you are older. Your age, your gender, your status - none of them define your ability to break boundaries. With this inspiration, she goes on to win the match, and the film ends with this motivational scene.