Scripted Support, Raw Reality: The Unraveling of the Mary Kom Narrative

I still remember vividly, when Mary Kom's biopic was released in 2014, there were objections regarding the cast of the movie. Priyanka Chopra essaying the role of Mary Kom was not hilarious, it was plain unfitting. The angle of racism and cultural appropriation did the rounds, but eventually the movie was released, it was declared a hit, Priyanka Chopra won awards for her role and yes, Mary Kom must have earned her share of royalty. The movie depicted Kom's husband as a sweet, caring and supportive man, more or less an ideal husband. To add gravity, Kom too had said about Onler's (Kom's ex-husband) contribution towards her success in one of the interviews (the host of that show was Tara Sharma, in case, you need reference). Although biopic often over glorifies a person or tries to whitewash a perceived public image but it has some element of truth in it, it falls under the genre of nonfiction, after all.

But years down the line, the narrative is not the same, things have changed, they have divorced. The things Mary Kom said on Aap Ki Adalat have created havoc. Memes, opinions and reactions are floating on social media platforms. Well, she said what she said, but why she did say what she said? Only she knows. But two things can be inferred: his character depiction in the biopic was a lie or what she said in Aap Ki Adalat was a lie to shift the blame and control the narrative. Whatever may be the case, I am of the opinion that she needs media training.  

And like always, people who are allergic to feminism or have shallow understanding of feminism or does not know what different waves of feminism strives for, have dragged feminism into this matter. What Mary Kom said does not adhere to the tenets of feminism, for she tried to confirm herself in the societal norms by echoing what the society expects from a husband/man. 

Lastly, majority of us must have watched, La La Land.  It had a realistic storyline; will you sacrifice your dreams for the one you love? The two main characters did not; hence, the movie had a bittersweet ending.