[Photo by Richard Chambury]
The great thing about Tumblr is that it will put you onto different things that you weren’t aware of such as artists, news, or in this case, media. If that isn’t the case for you then you need to step your feed up homie, you following the wrong folks. Now, I was minding my business while runnin through the reblogs with my woes (you know how them likes go) when the dashboard gawds laid this movie trailer in front of me from a 2014-released movie Mary Kom. Granted, we’re a little late — but I’m willing to bet you are too, so we’re gonna fix this together.

Sun, this my shit right here. This got me just as hype as Creed, but even more my dude cause this is based off a real fucking story. No fiction — we talking real time grime. This is the story of Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom (MC Mary Kom), a woman that picked up boxing and then proceeded to go on and become a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion as well as the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each of the six World Championships. Oh yes, that’s right. Mangte out here throwing these muh fucking hands.

The trailer delves into how she got into boxing, her training, and having to deal with the patriarchy of her father coming down on her passion — one she excels at extremely well, which is of no matter to him. Mangte ain’t ’bout to let her life be reduced to hearing “no” or have her skills be denied and compartmentalized by someone else. Oh no, Magnte finna Shoryuken/Tiger-Uppercut/Down-Down-Forward punch button through the (tempered) glass ceiling that the patriarchy is trying to keep her under. The story adds another dynamic once she has children but still wants to come back for another go at being the realest.

The actor playing Mangte is Priyanka Chopra (from what I’m told her acting skills gully)

I am really excited to see this movie. I’m watching the trailer and making the “Sssst- Tsssst–ssst—-Tss” sounds with her at each punch while nodding my head like I was listening to a freestyle cypher. The quotes I was hearing? BARS!

“Don’t ever scare someone so much that (s)he isn’t afraid anymore”

BARS!

“A woman becomes stronger after becoming a mother
and now your strength has increased two-folds
So we will work twice as hard”

BARS!

Now if you’re sitting there saying, “But isn’t this Million Dollar Baby For—” Shhh–shhh–shhhhhhh, that wasn’t real, bruh. This right here is a journey built upon facts on facts on facts, plus this is the story entirely centered around Mangte as our lead with Omung Kumar in the Director’s seat (not a White dude). This is her story and I’m thankful that it’s done outside of Hollywood because we don’t have to worry about this being watered down for Americans or men to be “more relatable.” Nah, we’re seeing that real rap raw and I fucking love it. I’m all about seeing people of color getting a platform to tell their tales (especially a biography) for the masses, and you’re telling me we got a woman of color out here putting it down? From Eastern/Eastbay India? She also has a book (Unbreakable) on Harper Collins and is an animal rights supporter?! *hits prayer dance* Let’s fucking go Mangte!

You’re playing my freaking heart strings right now, dude. I have an older sister and brother from my mother’s first marriage. They’re ethnicity is Tamil (Southside India) and I know growing up they’ve had to learn about who they are from my mother, their father, and his mother because there’s very little chance that they would see someone from either side or both of their backgrounds in mainstream media often (especially in a non-stereotypical role). I’m excited for them because they’re getting that through stories like Mangte appearing on film, the Priyas Shakti comic book (combating rape culture), and last but never least Connie “Sword Game” Maheswaran who is a major Hindi character from Steven Universe. [Let’s also mention that Bollywood has become a major juggernaut with an appreciation and following over here in America but they’ve been around since the early 1900’s doing the damn thing. Thus proving we’re the ones playing catch up in the representation game *looks at Hollywood*]

I literally can’t wait to watch this movie with my sister and her son Noah who goes so hard in the POC (Tamil, Black, Sri-Lankan, Native-American) that he’s gotta fill out all the bubbles including “other.” I really want him to see someone that looks like him, from his background, and importantly a woman combating the gender norm against the rope and excelling at a sport that is deemed “masculine” or “a man’s sport.” I want him getting that real rap raw feminism in EARLY. Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom is going to be the instructor for the both us. I want him to have an understanding of the phrase “fight like a girl” as a term said not to belittle someone but to put the fear of gawd in them.

Art By Guiganoid

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I immediately shared this trailer with Jordan (along with mad folks) who got equally hyped. He’ll be the one hitting you with the review for the movie.

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  • Omar Holmon is a content editor that is here to make .gifs, obscure references, and find the correlation between everything Black and Nerdy.

  • Show Comments

  • Trey West

    Omar thanks for sharing this awesomeness! Looking forward to watching this film.

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