Mary Kom stays aloof from controversy

Indian boxer commends Priyanka Chopra for portraying her in the eponymous biopic.

Olympic medallist MC Mary Kom wishes to stay clear of the controversies surrounding her eponymously titled biopic starring Priyanka Chopra. The film was in the line of fire for not starring a girl from Manipur, Kom’s hometown, instead of Chopra in the lead role.

“For me, what matters is that people should see the movie and get inspired by my story to do well for the country,” she said. “I don’t want to be involved in any controversies about why a Manipuri girl was or wasn’t chosen for the role. How many youngsters I inspire is important,” added the 31-year-old world champion, reported the Hindustan Times.

“I have seen it [the film] and it is really nice. I am happy with the way things are portrayed and Priyanka has done a great job. While playing my character, Priyanka has tried to talk in the same manner as I do. She has shown the same emotions, aggression and has also gotten some experience in boxing,” she commented.

“While watching the movie, I was only concentrating on the emotional aspect of the film. Everyone knows who Mary Kom is, but what we want to convey through the film are the difficulties that I faced after giving birth to my children and still wanting to continue with the sport,” she stated.

Kom said there were times she was not present at home to attend to her children when they were not well, but she overcame the odds. “Hopefully, others, too, will get motivated to do the same. If I can do it, then why can’t they?”

Despite having countless accolades under her belt, Kom wishes to go overseas and bag more awards for her country. “I am 90 to 100 per cent fit now [she recently recovered from an injury] and will compete in the qualifications for the Asian Games [to be held next month in South Korea],” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2014.

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