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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.

 

Us vs. Them: The Persistent Shadows of Faith and Race

We are in a new year. 2025 ended in a bizarre note. Two varieties of news had made me wonder whether this country, India will ever get saner. 

Christianity is one of the minor religions of India. But being born in a Christian dominated state of India, I have only good memories of Christmas. There is nothing wrong in believing a God or identifying oneself with a particular religion or celebrating the birthday of the God, gods and goddesses you believe in. However, some people seem to have a problem with all the religions, some with a particular religion and some with all the religions other than their own. Looks like hate is the most followed religion in and across the world and beyond.

There is persecution of the Christians in many parts of the world, and India is not an exception. Each year, during Christmas we hear stories about decorations being vandalised, church services being interrupted and gatherings being disrupted, and with each passing year, it is increasing. Organizations like the United Christian Forum (UCF) have documented hundreds of incidents of targeted violence and disruption of services annually, with numbers trending upward since 2021. I am glad that there were good numbers of people on social media condemning such incidents. Indians find pride in proclaiming the country to be the mother of democracy but secularism is an integral part of democracy. This country has failed or got low ranks in so many indexes, including religious freedom. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has repeatedly recommended India be designated as a "Country of Particular Concern," citing a sharp rise in attacks on minorities. The data cannot be wrong when attacks on religious minority are apparent. The law enforcing agencies should be vigilant, no doubt, at the same time, the hatemonger should learn to tolerate, accept, embrace the existence of other religions but the problem is how it can be done when religion is a strong vote bank.

Racism faced by the people of Northeast region in India is not a new thing. I have written numerous blog articles on this issue, seems like we are still in 2010s. Racial slurs, racially motivated attacks or racial discrimination are forms of racism but only when there is physical violence involved it is considered a crime, at least in India. We are told not to react, get provoked, ignore whenever we are mocked or lurked remarks are made about out facial features, it makes sense but for how long?

A study by the Bezbaruah Committee previously found that over 80% of people from the Northeast living in metros have faced some form of racial discrimination or verbal abuse The death of Angel Chakma a final-year MBA student from Tripura in Uttarakhand highlights the prevalence of racism even after COVID 19 pandemic has long gone. We often read and hear about various steps and measures to combat racism but that are all in theory, the ground reality is different. Race is an identity, as long as there is 'us vs. them' mentality and the urge to exhibit power and control, we cannot do away with racism. Least we can do is, not to practice racial prejudices ourselves. Moreover, the Uttarakhand Police said, they found no evidence to suggest that the killing of 24-year-old Angel Chakma was racially motivated. Let the investigation take its course and pray that justice will be served. Lastly, I am being realistic when I say; this won’t be the last incident of racism in India.