SHILLONG: Movies inspiring real-life feats or vice versa may be passé. But if you were to go by the story of three women pugilists from Pakistan, Bollywood and boxing perhaps go hand in hand. Khoushleem Bano, Rukhsana Parveen and Sofia Javed, who are here for the South Asian Games, said world champion M C Mary Kom and the movie based on her, starring Priyanka Chopra, inspired them to take part in an international event for the first time. With this, they have made the unacceptable acceptable back home. They had all battled conservative ideas and defied tradition, with the 2012 Olympic bronze winner playing a part in their progress.
The girls are new to the sport and all have overcome similar hurdles. Rukhsana is from Multan and was part of the kabaddi team which won bronze at the World Cup in Punjab in 2014. “We have a sporting culture, but people are conservative. I don’t get disheartened easily. I wish people were more open-minded,” said Rukhsana. “I watch a lot of Bollywood films and Mary Kom’s movie inspired us to take up boxing,” said Sofia.
Mary Kom has been touched by the news of the Pakistanis looking up to her as a role model. “It’s fantastic to know these girls have been influenced by the movie. If they want, I can let them train at my academy (in Manipur). They are welcome for any other assistance as well,” she said.