Mary Kom to be immortalized in Film!

Keyed up about making a movie on Olympic bronze-winning champion Mary Kom, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is producing the film, said that he was proud to be a part of it. “It is an inspiring story that touched my heart. Not many films are based on biopics of living people, so this is a rare experiment. I am proud that I am part of this film,” he said.
“Even after achieving so much, she comes across as a simple and humble human being. Mary Kom is someone who every single person in India is very proud of. She has come a long way. It's such a wonderful story of her life,” says Bhansali.

Bhansali, who is famous for his portrayal of strong women characters like the protagonist of ‘Black’ (played by Rani Mukherjee), the heroine in ‘Devdas’ (characterised by Madhuri Dixit as Chandhamukhi), and a cheerful Sofia in 'Guzaarish' (acted out by Aishwarya Rai), feels that whoever is finalised to play the part of Mary in the upcoming film should train with her to attain the right posture and antics.

The casting of the film has not been settled on yet, since filling the shoes of Mary Kom is no easy task. Consequently, the makers of this film do not have the intention of leaving any stone unturned in their search for a suitable actress.

However, there are press reports saying that the protagonist is expected be a new face and not necessarily an established actress.

Leadership Talk

With the glorious finish of the London 2012 Games, one thing that our country has been proud of is the 7 medals our champs brought in, (both for the Olympics as well as the Paralympics); and what has been celebrated since, has not only been their success, but also their haul of hearts.

In India, a land where the people are mostly captured by their passion and imagination for only a few sports, this is the one time where people focus on sports other than cricket and other such niche sports. People are taking notice of sports such as boxing, badminton, and shooting amongst others—and the good news is that their interest is on the rise.

For us at IOS, this translates as an emotional high, and one pregnant with opportunity as well! Brand experts agree, saying that this could be the ideal time to make the proverbial hay on the endorsement circuit, since the Olympians’ image is set to see a record high.

Sports people engaged in sports that already were popular (such as badminton or boxing) will be able to achieve much more at this spike in interest according to industry experts, because they have had huge fan base already in existence, compared to sports like shooting or squash which are still in the process of garnering more supporters and amateur players.

Yogeshwar Dutt and Mary Kom have received a number of engagements-- Mary Kom is a known face and an Indian superwoman, and we have received a number of enquiries about her. IOS expects to be signing her with about 4-5 brands over a 2-week period.

People who watch the advertisements and events that these intrepid sportspeople attend, recognize their potential and extend their support to the athletes as well as their sports, so it’s a win-win situation for us. This way, even if our window of opportunity closes, the golden circle of support for the athletes and sport is gleaming. That’s our aim—to get to the place of letting that circle of support to work, hence encouraging more sports talent in this country.

Today is the day for dauntless champions, and we hope that in its eve, our champions would have multiplied and would strive to add to our country’s splendor.

Road Named After Mary Kom!

The Manipur health minister T. Phungzathang on August 28, announced the naming of a road in a town in Manipur after M. C. Mary Kom, the Olympic bronze medal winning boxer. 

According to official reports, the health minister, (who was the chief guest at a reception of Kom at the Churachandpur district headquarters), said the government had decided to name the road as "Mary Kom Ring Road".

In addition, Phungzathang told the hundreds of villagers gathered at the reception that the Manipur government would sanction Rs. 10 lakh from the Department of the District Rural Development Agency, and use it to construct a gallery in honor of the ace boxer.

 

 

Mary Kom on the Rise

Mary Kom was, on September 8, felicitated by the Prime Minister in Delhi, for her brilliant performance in the Olympics. In the national conference that was arranged for the top intelligence officials and police in the country, both she as well as Yogeshwar Dutt were awarded 22 lakhs and given plaques each.

Mary Kom, who was a Deputy SP of the Manipur police force, was promoted to the rank of SP after a citation by the Prime Minister. Yogeshwar Dutt is a Deputy SP of the Haryana Police force. This is one of the rare instances for which India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB) made sophisticated arrangements in congratulations of the sport stars as they are both enrolled as police officers in their respective states.The Prime Minister was meeting the Director and Inspector Generals of the state as well as central police forces at their annual three-day conference which ended on September 8, 2012.

One of the main reasons Mary Kom resides in the spotlight even after the tide of the Olympics is her humble demeanor even after attaining success. She also faced a number of hurdles in coming up to this level—be it pioneering in a sport that until the London Games was seen as the sole Olympic sanctuary of men, or the struggle to persuade her father that women could box too, before coming to the Olympic arena.

“Women can do everything, you know?” she says. “Just keep challenging.”