The more than a decade-old ban on Hindi movies has frustrated many in Manipur, particularly when the entire country world witnessed the life and struggles of the ace boxer through Sanjay leela Bhansali’s biopic Mary Kom.
The five-time woman world champion boxer is a legend in Manipur and in India, but the movie made on her life is unlikely to be screened in her home State in the near future.
Contrary to the excitement over the film in rest of the country, there is hardly any enthusiasm in Manipur over the film. In Mary’s native village Kangathei located in Manipur’s remote Churachandpur district, the release of the blockbuster across the country failed to create any excitement on Friday.
“There is no excitement here over the film. Everyone knows that screening of Mary Kom is not possible. There is no poster of the film or anything that can excite anyone,” said Manipur-based film maker Mohen Naorem while blaming the militants for the blanket ban on Hindi films.
“It’s a good piece of work. The film will let the people of the world know about the struggles Mary Kom faced on her way to emerging world champion. It’s going to be very inspiring. I hope people of our State could get to see the film,” Mohen said, while appealing to all concerned to create an ambience in the State for screening of the film.
Set in Manipur, the film highlights the rise of the five-time women’s world boxing champion and Olympic bronze medallist Mary Kom. The biopic is produced by Sanjay leela Bhansali and directed by Omung Kumar. Priyanka Chopra, who played Mary’s character, spent a lot of time with Mary to understand her stance and style of boxing.
“We were invited to watch a special screening in New Delhi. I loved the movie,” said Mary’s husband Onler Kom, while adding that a total of 16 people from the family, which includes Mary’s parents, also watched the film. While Mary is in New Delhi practicing for the forthcoming Asian Games to be held later this month in South Korea, her husband returned to the State to continue the Mary Kom Boxing Academy in Imphal.
last month, a conglomeration of several tribal organisations requested the militant outfits to allow the screening of this particular film in Manipur, but to no avail. “We, on behalf of the organisation, appealed them to allow only this film to be screened here but they (militants) did not agree,” said a leader of the Komrem Union, which is the conglomeration of several tribal outfits, on condition of anonymity.