Mary Kom criticises biopic starring Priyanka Chopra, days after Bigg Boss eviction

Boxing legend Mary Kom has publicly criticised Mary Kom, the 2014 film based on her life, saying it showed only a small part of the hardship behind her career.

Mary Kom comments on 2014 biopic based on her life

In a recent interview with Indian Express following her exit from Bigg Boss 20, the Olympic bronze medalist said the film did not reflect reality. She felt parts of the story were not true to life and estimated that only about 10 per cent of her struggle and hard work made it to the screen.

Kom was asked whether she would like a sequel. She dismissed the idea, saying everyone already knows her story.

The comments come days after Kom was evicted from the reality show on October 24, following a stay of about seven weeks. She said viewers saw her genuine personality inside the house, adding that people already loved her and now knew the real Mary Kom as well.

Directed by Omung Kumar and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film starred Priyanka Chopra in the title role. It was unusual for its time, a big-budget Hindi biopic about a woman athlete who was still competing. When it released, Kom was a five-time world champion and had won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics. She has since added a sixth world title to her record.

The film was a commercial success and drew praise for Chopra’s committed performance. It also attracted criticism from the start. Reviewers argued that it leaned on melodrama and conventional Bollywood tropes, and that it paid little attention to Manipur’s political backdrop. Casting a non-Manipuri actor was contentious as well, and a separatist group’s ban on Hindi films kept it from screening in Kom’s home state. Chopra herself acknowledged at the time that she did not share Kom’s features.

Kom’s latest remarks highlight a long-standing tension in sports biopics, where dramatic storytelling and commercial considerations can compress years of discipline and sacrifice into a two-hour narrative.

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