No other Bollywood actress other than Priyanka Chopra could have fit the character of Mary Kom. After watching the movie, that's the only thing that will cross your mind. `Mary Kom` directed by Omung Kumar is a tribute to the living legend MC Mary Kom. The biopic which traces the journey of five times world boxing champion and Olympic medalist Mary Kom, is just tailor-made for the big screen.

Mangte Chungneijang Kom, better known as Mary Kom, the gutsy boxer from a remote corner of Manipur, who made her way to the Olympics with merely the power of her passion for the sport, is definitely worthy of a biopic full of reverence. But alas, ironically, debut director Omung Kumar's film on her life is extremely meek and plays irritatingly safe.

Mary Kom is not an unbearable film but it is largely unwatchable. It was painful to see the most hardworking sporting star of India being reduced in a film that is a caricaturish blend of Chak De! and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Obviously I went in with far too many expectations but this film isn't an heartfelt attempt at film-making. If you at all decide to watch the film, do so for Priyanka who upholds the unbreakable spirit of Mary Kom in its most pristine form.

Making a biopic is an art form. Some might say it's even a science. But fact is, the craft of making a good biopic is so challenging that only the best filmmakers around the world attempt it with success. Making a good one is like winning a lottery. It involves luck and knowing what to bet on. Omung Kumar is making the transition from art direction to inhabiting the director's chair. And he's chosen the toughest challenge from the word go. The result though is a little underwhelming. Plainly said, it's not bad at all and the filmmaker can thank Priyanka Chopra for it. She's the sole reason Mary Kom spars her way in to your heart.

The obviously questionable casting of Priyanka Chopra as the lead actress and the choice of the principal shooting locations (Manali, Dharamshala, et al) are the least of the numerous glaring problems that mar first-time director Omung Kumar's well-intentioned but excessively effusive Mary Kom. The film presents a preposterously strident re-enactment of a real-life blood-and-sweat tale. It is aggravated manifold by injudicious use of musical numbers and a loud, unsubtle background score rustled up ostensibly to highlight the intensity of the protagonist's many struggles. It only ends up being more distracting than piercing.

My favourite thing about the film is the genre. Sports, more than biopic. There are so few sports films made here (Chak De! Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Hip Hip Hooray), and I think it should be applauded and encouraged. We celebrate American sports films based on real people (Rush, Blind Side, the Fighter, The Million Dollar Arm) so why shouldn't we celebrate our own heroes?

Mary Kom is a biographical sports film based on the life of Indian boxer MC Mary Kom also known as Magnificent Mary. There was never a doubt that her story needs to be told. It indeed is an inspiring one. Omung Kumar tries hard to recreate it on celluloid. Mary Kom's father is against her taking up boxing because she may spoil her face but she goes against his wishes and and takes up boxing. At one point he tells her to choose between him and boxing and Mary Kom chooses boxing. She learns quickly under the guidance of her coach M Narjit Singh (Sunil Thapa). Soon she goes from winning one title to making India and her family proud.

There is no doubt that MC Mary Kom is among one of the finest sports persons India has ever produced, and her achievements can be chronicled on celluloid, but are we ready to visualise a girl from a poor Manipuri village as it is? Director Omung Kumar's Mary Kom is a highly fictionalised account of what actually happened, and in the process it turned out to be one of those films which are made just for whistles and quick money.

A biopic which starts with the caveat `based on the life incidents of' immediately makes you suspicious. Why not just say : `based on the life of'? Is it because too many cinematic liberties have been taken in the telling? In other words, is 'Mary Kom' really the story of Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, the champion boxer from Manipur, who's done India proud? Or is it just another heavily-embroidered Bollywood movie?