Motorists ride past a Mary Kom poster in Imphal on Friday. Picture by Ngangbam Indrakanta Singh

Imphal, Sept. 5: Manipur today missed being part of the nationwide release of Mary Kom, the biopic on the champion boxer, because of a militant ban on the screening of Hindi films in the state.

Citizens of Manipur, however, longed to see the movie on the big screen.

“I want to see the film. Why should I not when the movie is based on the true story of an international figure from our state? We have adequate movie halls. We have a good hall at MFDC too. Where should we go to see the film?” asked Takhelmayum Aarti, a 23-year-old graduate from Imphal East.

Though Mary Kom is not being screened in the boxing champion’s state, huge posters of the film find pride of place in the city, highlighting what the citizens are missing. (See picture).

Said national award-winning film critic R.K. Bidur, “Not screening the film based on Mary Kom, a world figure, is condemnable. Mary Kom is a youth icon. She motivates the youth.”

The Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) had banned Hindi movies in Manipur in September 2000. Since then, only Manipuri films in digital format are screened in the cinemas of the state.

People, however, have not lost heart. They expect to see the film in DVD and CDs since DVDs of Hindi films are available in the state.

“It is just that we cannot watch the movie on the big screen. It will be available as DVD,” said a young national award-winning filmmaker.

The people are curious to see whether the film has local flavour.

Mary Kom, a farmer’s daughter, is a five-time world champion in boxing and had also won a bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics.

The film’s director Omung Kumar and actress Priyanka Chopra, who plays Mary, had visited Manipur in July last year to study the champion’s lifestyle and social environment.

However, the film was not shot in the state as accommodating more than 300 crew members and shooting equipment would have been a problem.

Commenting on the ban during her visit to Imphal, Priyanka had said, “Mary Kom is the pride of Manipur and we are making a movie on her life. I hope some miracle happens and the people of Manipur can celebrate this movie with us.”

Though there was no miracle vis-a-vis screening of the film, Mary’s husband, K. Onler Kom, told the Telegraph that the movie had done justice to its subject.

He said it would be expecting too much from a film to compress Mary’s eventful journey in just two hours of running time.

“But it has been successful in projecting important high points of Mary’s life — her struggles, her ties with her father and our married life,” he added.

Onler, who returned to Imphal yesterday after attending the premiere of the movie in Delhi on Wednesday, was also effusive in his praise of leading lady Priyanka, who, he said, had fit into Mary’s gloves after six months of training for the role.

The best part of the film, according to Onler, is when Mary tries to cope with an uncertain future after the birth of their twins.

“Most wanted her to give up boxing. There were no expectations from her. Mary used to stare at the medals she had won but she pulled through with our support and went on to win the Olympic bronze. It is very inspiring. I am not saying this because she is my wife,” Onler said.